Jesus' Unity with the Father: Hearing the Shepherd in the Wilderness

Hey, if you brought your Bibles today, I want you to get it out. This is our time to receive a living word. This book is alive and it's active and we do not want to treat this casually. So, get it out. You could put it up in the air like a sword like you believe this day. And on the count of three, I want every person to shout word with all your heart. Here we go. One, two, three. Word. We're getting into God's word so that God's word gets into us. All of us hear voices. I'm not saying you're crazy, but there are all sorts of voices that are vying for your attention. And you have to determine what voices are you listening to. There's the voice of fear that's trying to get you to stop what God is doing in your life. There's the voice of temptation to do that which you should not do. There's the voice of the culture trying to tell you what truth is.

And I'll tell you, if you listen to the wrong voice, you're going to end up in the wrong place. The wrong voice will lead you astray. Jesus tells us in John chapter 10, as we learned last week, that he is the good shepherd and the sheep hear his voice. Today, you have an opportunity to hear the voice of Jesus. He warns us that there is a real enemy that's going after you. John chapter 10, Jesus says, "The thief." referring to this enemy of your soul, of your life, of your family, of this church. The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. So, when you're going through some pain and you're going through some problems and you're wondering, "Why am I going through what I'm going through?" Jesus

warned you that there's an enemy trying to stop you, trying to hurt you, trying to speak into your life. This is who you are. This is who you'll forever be. all the mistakes you've ever made. The enemy is a liar. Jesus says in the book of John, it's his native tongue and he wants you to hear his voice. But Jesus offers to you today in his own voice, I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. This is God's plan and purpose for you to hear his voice and to step into that life abundantly. That you would live the life that he's called you to live. But one thing that I've discovered in my life and you're going to see it in today's texts is that people are fickle.

That's my nice way of saying it. People are fickle. But here's the truth. It was, it is, and will forever be. God is faithful. He will not stop being faithful. No matter what you're going through, no matter where you've been, no matter even what you've done, he's always faithful. He was and will forever be almighty God that's faithful. Jesus, for the last time, is going to display publicly who he is. He's going to be in the temple. We find ourselves in John chapter 10, and this is his last public ministry. which is interesting because if you have your Bible, we've been studying the book of John since January. It's the longest study we've ever done here at Journey Church. And we're in chapter 10, which means we're we're almost halfway through the book.

But I have no regrets because I'm falling more in love with Jesus, looking at the life of Jesus in this book called John. And at this point, just to set the stage for where we're going today and where we're coming in the the future weeks, this is the last time Jesus displays his public ministry. After this, it's individual. And if there's one thing we see about Jesus life, he loves to spend time with you individually. He loves small groups. And from this point forward, we're going to see that Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. There will be several chapters that John dedicates to the last few hours before he's crucified. and he just imparts to us. He gives you like downloads of of what matters most. And and this is what John focuses the majority of this book on is the last few hours of Jesus life.

And Jesus now is going to end his public ministry the same way he starts his public ministry. And you'll see that clearly in today's text. But what Jesus says is controversial. He's not just a good teacher. He's not just a religious figure. What he says is so radical the religious leaders of his days tried to put him out. John 5:18 says this is why the Jews, every time you see the word the Jews, and you're going to see it again in today's text in John 10, he's referring to the religious leader. He's not referring to every Jew, it's just a terminology for saying the religious leaders of the Jews. They were seeking all the more to kill Jesus because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, so not only was he breaking the religious rules. He was even calling God his own father, making himself equal with God.

So what did they want to do to Jesus since he said he was equal with God? Kill him. What did Jesus say the thief wants to do? Kill you. Here's the thing about Jesus. If you believe in Jesus, if you follow Jesus, who he is becomes who you are. Jesus says in the book of John chapter 8, I am the light of the world. In Matthew chapter 5, he says, you are the light of the world. So, it's not enough just to believe in Jesus. You're changed by Jesus. So, if they hated him, I'm just going to warn you. Come on, somebody. In John chapter 10, we picked up last week where Jesus says, "I am the good shepherd." And he's trying to explain

who he is so clearly to to those who are willing to listen. And in John 10:17, he says, "For this reason, the Father loves me because I lay down my life that I may take it up again." What a shepherd that he lays down his life for the sheep. He's not like the hired hand that when trouble comes, they run. Jesus says in verse 18 of chapter 10, "No one takes my life from me, but I lay it down on my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my father." Throughout this book, John has been introducing to us the person of Jesus Christ with one aim. that you would believe in him and be forever changed.

You see, John walked with Jesus. He talked with Jesus. He touched Jesus. And he's not just giving you a historical account of who Jesus is. He didn't just record these things so that you would learn about the teachings of Jesus. He simply wants you to believe in him because Jesus died for you. This is the great exchange. He takes your sin so that you would receive his righteousness. And since John chapter 5, three times the religious leaders have tried to kill him. Now we know the motivation behind religious people. It's what we call a religious spirit. It's is it's we don't battle against flesh and blood. The book of Ephesians says in chapter 6, we battle against a

real war in the spiritual realm, principalities, authorities. And today we pick up in John chapter 10 where we continue looking at the life of Jesus. And Jesus is clearly going to say some serious things that are going to ruffle some feathers. And you have an opportunity today to listen up, to lean in and hear from heaven's best, to not just hear the word of God, but be changed by it. If you're able to, would you stand for the reading of God's word? We're going to start in chapter 10, verse 22. We are going to make it all the way through the 10th chapter today. Let's make it through verse 42. So listen carefully as I read the text and then we understand the application of the text for our lives. John 10 starting

with verse 22. At that time the feast of dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter and Jesus was walking in the temple in the colony 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. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me. But you, you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life 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 have shown you many good works from the father. For which of them are you going to stone me? The Jews answered him, "Is it is not for the good work that we're going to stone you, but for blasphemy, because you being a man, make yourself god?" Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your law, I said, you are gods?

If he called them gods to whom the word of God came and scripture cannot be broken, do you say of him whom the father consecrated and sent into the world, you are blaspheing because I said I am the son of God. If I am not doing the works of my father, then do not believe me. But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I am in the Father. Again, they sought to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands. He went again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing at first, and there he remained. And many came to him and they said, "John did no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true and

many believed in him there." This is the word of the Lord. You may be seated. We have in today's text a reminder that your life can shift at any moment. Things can be going well and one moment you have friends and the next moment they're betraying you. In one moment you're in a place of worship and the next moment you've got to go out into the wilderness. Jesus goes from Jerusalem to the Jordan River. And I want you to see the significance of that by the end of our time today. John tells us exactly when these things took place. For John's trying to associate that this entire book that we call the Bible is actually about Jesus.

This is God's story. So over and over again he tells us when these things happen. so that we would attribute this timing to Jesus. John 10:22 tells us at that time the feast of dedication took place at Jerusalem. This is not the first time that John's told us about a feast. He's letting you know and associate that this feast that tells you about God's faithfulness actually points us to Jesus. Now let's better understand the feast of dedication so that you know what's happening here and you see who Jesus is that he's the fulfillment of all things. The feast of dedication is not found in the Old Testament because it happened after the Old Testament was written. This is the time period that that theologically speaking is called the intertestimonial uh uh time that the the season in between Malachi and Matthew.

This is the intertestimonial time that that God appeared to be silent. Yet what we'll see even with this feast as he was working it was this time period of some 400 years from when Malachi was written in the time of the birth of Jesus in between 160 BC and 170 BC there was a wicked ruler named Antiochus. Antiochus in history if you learn about him in school was also had the name Antiochus Epiphies. Now, Epiphanies literally means to manifested with glory. It's another way of saying God. It doesn't get better than this. Now, he gave himself that name. Antiochus Epiphanies.

Now, Antiochus saw that Israel had a history of worshiping one God. Now, he wanted to helanize this region, meaning he wanted to bring the Greek culture in every form and fashion to not only Israel, but to Jerusalem, this holy city. Now the Greeks had the worship of many gods. So Antiochus comes in with one aim to eradicate the Jewish religion, the Jewish faith, the worship of one God. This is not the first time the enemy slipped in in history and tried to eradicate the belief of one true God. But Antiochus did some absolutely awful things. He took a pig, which is the most unclean animal for the Jewish people, and he took this unclean pig and he went into the temple. He went into the Holy of Holies and he offered the sacrifice of an unclean animal in

the Holy of Holies. He desecrated the temple in the most awful of ways. Furthermore, he took a statue of Zeus and put it up in the temple that instead of worshiping the invisible God, we can worship statues. And during this time, the Jews were were fiercely persecuted. But don't you know that God can work even in the worst of times? that your time is not wasted, that your hardships actually can define you and bring you back to the truth. And there was one man who would raise up during this time. And he said, "Enough is enough." Judas Mcabeas went against the evil ways and he fought for the truth. And when you turn to God, you'll find that God's already there for you. You you'll discover that he he's not as far as you think. We've wandered away from him. And Judas Mcabeas fights for

the truth. and God's mighty right hand was with them and they they received back the power and the authority. And there was a time that they had to reconsecrate or dedicate the temple back to the Lord. That which had been used for evil, that that which was unclean, that that which had wandered away from what the intentional purpose of the temple was about would be consecrated. Now, the word consecration means to be set apart for something that's holy. It's what Joshua told the Israelites before they went into the pro promised land. Go consecrate yourselves for tomorrow we're going to places we've never been. Consecration is important. It's the the process of becoming who God made you to be. So the feast of dedication. Are you still tracking with me?

I just recognized the ADHD kid in me was like, "You sound like a history professor." Uh the feast of dedication, if you just track with me here, was a reminder of dedicating the temple to its purpose. It was to encounter God, to meet with the Holy of Holies, that you have access to God. That if you've sinned, you could bring a lamb and slaughter the lamb for your sins. And it was just it was a sacred space. The feast of dedication has also been known as the feast of lights. They would light these lamps that we know today as manoras. Today we know this feast of dedication in our language. You've probably heard of it, Hanukkah. Have you all ever heard of Hanukkah? By a show of hands. Now

Hanukkah happens right around the same time we celebrate the birth of Jesus, which for us, according to our calendar, is December, which is in the heart of winter, which we know is coming soon. So we start to grieve right now. John tells us that it was at the feast of dedication or also known as what? Hanukkah that these things that we're about to read took place at Jerusalem. It was winter. Winter is cold. It's when it rains in Jerusalem. And Jesus was walking in the temple in the colony of Solomon. Now, now the reason I give you that background is so that you understand what John's saying. you would set the stage of your imagination what you're reading. People would travel to Jerusalem for the feast.

They would come to the temple for the feast. So, so, so the city is a buzz. It's cold. Jesus is not just out and about at the temple. He's under the colony of Solomon, which we read about in the book of Acts. It would have been a covered place so that if it was raining, you're not getting dumped on. So here they are are all of them smooshed into this one space underneath the colonade covered. It's winter. It's Hanukkah. The lights are blazing. The oil is burning. The lamps. And it's here that the religious leaders are going to come once again to Jesus, the last time publicly. And they appear to have a sincere request. But Jesus knows that it's not a lack of clarity that they need. They are looking to accuse him. They heard his voice.

They saw his works. Yet, they still did not believe in him. And that's when the Jews, John tells us in verse 24, they gathered around Jesus and they said to him, "How long will you keep us in suspense if you are the Christ?" The word Christ in the Hebrew is Hamashiach. It would be better translated in English, Messiah. If you are Messiah, if you are the promised one of God, the one that God said he would send to deliver. If you are the Messiah, if you are the Christ, the Hamashiach, tell us plainly. Now, initially, this sounds so sincere. It sounds so good. But how many you know someone could say something that sounds good, but they have the wrong motives?

You could say something that's true but do it in the wrong way. Come on, someone shout, "Amen." Amen. Don't look at your spouse when you say that. You can tell the truth, but you can do it in the wrong way. And so, they're coming to Jesus and they're they're asking, "Are you the Messiah? Are you the Christ? Are you the one God sent?" Now, what they're really asking formally of Jesus is, "Are you willing to attach that title to your name? Are you Jesus Christ? Are you Jesus Messiah? Now, we've got to understand that this entire book in the Old Testament, the time before the birth of Jesus, spoke of a Messiah. And at the time of Jesus, the rabbis who were the teachers of the day would translate the text and tell you what to look for in the Messiah. And one promises is that the Messiah would overcome and bring forth his kingdom come to this world.

And so it would be assumed that during an oppressive time when the Roman Empire ruled the world that if the Messiah came in their day, he would overcome the Roman Empire. So the famous rabbis would say, "Look for Messiah who would overcome Caesar. Look for Messiah that would overcome the Roman Empire. He would bring forth his kingdom and we would get to fight for him. We would be victorious because our Messiah is a warrior. He's greater than all. He's the one that was with Joshua. Come on, somebody. He's the one that's going to overcome and bring back that which needs to be done. So, they're looking for the Messiah. So, if he attaches the name Messiah, he's going to fulfill it according to the way the rabbis have been teaching the Messiah will do. And one thing about Jesus is he doesn't need a title to prove that he's the Messiah.

He doesn't need your misunderstanding or interpretation of what he means. We cannot put God in a box. So although they're asking for him to associate the name Christ to who he is, Jesus answered them, I told you and you do not believe. Jesus associates his coming who he is with belief. He didn't come to start a religion. He came to change your life. And doesn't happen through your religious duties of do this or don't do that. is through believing in him. And believing changes everything because now you're going to obey him or as we'll see later in this book, you abide in him. You stay connected with him because you surrender your will to his. And he's simply

saying, "I already did, but you didn't believe. The works that I do in my father's name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you're not among my sheep." So the issue here is not a lack of information. You've had plenty of information to see that I am the Christ. Jesus says, "You've seen my works. You've seen what I've done. You've seen what I said, but still you did not believe." Meaning, I can say all I want about who I am, but that will not make you believe. Because Jesus knew their motivation. He knew that their heart was not to worship him or be changed by him. They wanted to trap him. So Jesus once again goes back to that illustration of a shepherd and a sheep.

You see, last week we looked at Jesus as the good shepherd and and Jesus identifies himself as the shepherd that David speaks about in Psalm 23. The Lord is my shepherd. David who was a shepherd and became the great king over Israel. Jesus is now simply saying, I am the greater David. I am his shepherd. And this is the shepherd that leads us to green pastures. This is the shepherd that leads us to still waters. But he's also the shepherd that will get you through the valley of the shadow of death. And Jesus is explaining once again that his sheep hear his voice. See, imagine if you will going to Niagara Falls and you're standing at the edge.

You can hear the rush of the river. It's roaring as the water goes over the edge. You You can actually feel your body getting drenched with the the the water that's that's coming back into your face and it's right there. And you go to the edge of Niagara, you're getting wet from the water. You can hear the roar of the river turning into a waterfall. And imagine you say out loud, "Someone prove to me there's water here." Tell me there is water. That's essentially what they're doing with Jesus. Tell us you're the Christ.

Meanwhile, they've been saturated with love. They've seen many miracles. The the lame are now able to walk. The blind are now able to see. He turns water into wine. He is absolutely awesome in his authority when he speaks in the synagogue. He's letting the world know who he is. And still they're like, "Well, prove it. I'm not going to believe unless you do exactly what I ask you to do. And if you're not careful, you'll find yourself doing and saying the same thing." How many of us in our own hearts are like, "Prove your prove it, God. Prove it." And typically what we mean by that is I just want a prosperous comfortable life in the way that I think it should happen.

But Jesus says you do not believe because you're not among my sheep. The good shepherd is speaking and the sheep hear his voice which implies and he's going to be direct in just a moment that there are those that don't hear his voice. And I testify today that Jesus died on the cross. He was buried but on the third day he rose from the grave. The good shepherd is alive. Tell your neighbor he's still speaking. That was my way to make sure they're still awake. He's still speaking today. John 10:27, Jesus says, "My sheep hear my voice and I know them." He knows you,

my friend. He loves you. He knows more about you than you know. And when the sheep hear his voice, they what? Follow him. Jesus says, "They follow me. They go where I go. They do what I do." And if Jesus was unorthodox, let me just tell you, your life is probably going to be a little unorthodox. The dreams that you planned, he comes and he shatters them and says, "I got something better for you because what you've been dreaming in your mind, that was just a little limited for what I can do." And we're going to learn that next week when Lazarus comes out of the tomb. Verse 28, I give them what? Eternal life. This is in the present tense, not future tense. Jesus is not saying one day you're going to get to experience eternal life. One day when you die you could start to experience heaven. No.

When Jesus taught us to pray, he said, "Lord, let your kingdom come. Let your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." So the sheep of Jesus say, "I take Jesus seriously. If he says it, I believe it. And I cannot keep living an ordinary life. I want a heavenly life right now. I don't want to wait to experience heaven. When I get there, I want to know when I get there, I say, "Oo, it's even better than I thought." Even though I've been living in it. I've been living in his grace, living in his love, living in his peace, living in his joy, living in his goodness. Oh, I've been living in the land of the living because I follow Jesus. I'm not going to have a pity party. I'm not going to wallow in my hardships. I keep coming back and say, "Even if I'm in the valley, my God's going to get me

through it." Every good gift I have comes from the good shepherd. Oh, Jesus says, "Today, I give them eternal life and they will never perish." Too many people confess Christ, but they look like they're dying today. Paul says, "I'm not talking about the outside. This body is just a tent." Because even if you're wasting away on the outside, you should be renewed on the inside. You're just getting closer to your hope. So, you better be a better preacher the older you get. You better be the one that says, "I didn't deserve it, but I got it. It's not one day. I have it today, and I know no one," he says, will snatch them out of my hand. You are secure, my friend. But you got to hear his voice.

The sheep have to hear the voice. The devil is a liar. He wants you to question who you are and who God is. And the force of these words determine to us that we can start experiencing all that God has for us. Not someday or a better day, but right now. John 10:29, Jesus is still speaking and he says, "My father who's given them to me," meaning the sheep. We have a great God. He's greater than all. And no one is able to snatch them out of the father's hand. Amen. See, your view of God is going to determine what you do with your life. If you think small of God, you you won't see that whatever you're going through, he's greater. You'll get stuck in the story. And what you're going through is probably hell. It's probably as hard as it actually is.

For the child whose parents get divorced. For the person with the cancer diagnosis. For the spouse that found out that their covenant keeping spouse broke it with a adulterous affair or relationship with to the one who's lost their job. Th this is the moment that the rubber meets the road. Do you believe that no one can snatch out of you that eternal life that God put in you to understand that what you're going through does not define who God is? He He wants to hold you in his hand. And Jesus answers the question, "How long will you hold off in telling us?" He says, "I verse 30 and the father are one." Amen.

So if the father holds you tight that when you're weak, he's strong. When the father holds you tight, when the enemy wants to snatch you, he cannot. Jesus says, "I and the Father are one. I am for my sheep." So, you could lose your grip. You You could lose your faith, but but God won't lose you. You are in his grip. And his grip won't slip. So, you can trust that no matter what you're going through, he's still God. He's still faithful. And Jesus identifies so that we understand the theology from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22. We have one God and three persons. He is the father, the son, and the holy spirit. Never to be mistaken as three gods, but one triune God. And Jesus is

letting us know clearly so that we don't walk away confused or come up with the wrong conclusion because there are a lot of voices trying to tell you who God is and how you should live your life. And Jesus is simply saying keep coming to me and you'll know the father. If you know me, you know the father. In a few chapters, we're going to say see if you believe in Jesus, you have the holy spirit. This changes everything. I and the father are one. Which means if you get Jesus, you get the father. You get God. We know this was serious because of what is said next in verse 31. Do not read this casually or too quickly because the Jews picked up stones again to stone him.

If you do a deep dive into the text, the the original language, the Greek, the verb translated picked up that we have here in English literally means to carry. Now they're in the temple. Now I don't know about you, but you can just look around this room right now. There's not a whole lot of rocks. They came with them carrying these stones as they asked Jesus this question. Prove it. Prove it. You're the Messiah. And the moment he does, they put their hands in the air with the stones they've already been carrying. That's the thing about the religious spirit is they sound sincere until you see what's in their hands. He took out they took out the stones to kill Jesus.

You see in the law of Moses which is the first five books of the Bible we call this the pentatuk five books the Torah. It says that when someone blasphemies, when they deny the deity of one true God, their punishment is execution because there is no life apart from God. So, they're taking the law and they're wanting to crush the lawgiver. They're wanting to mistransate the law. They're they're missing the moment to to worship the one that gave them that law. And Jesus answered them. He he puts it back into their their plate, if you will. He puts it back into their lap. He puts it back into their lives. He answered them, "I've shown you many good works from the father. For which are you going to stone me?" You know what I love about Jesus?

He doesn't back down. He teaches us how we ought to be. You should not be afraid of even those who carry stones. He says with his own words, "Do not be afraid of those who can take your life when there's actually someone even greater that judges your soul." So here's human opposition. Here's religious power. And they answered Jesus, "It's not for a good work that we're going to stone you." Verse 33, "But for blasphemy, because you being a man, make yourself God." There's some truth in what they're saying, but he's not a mere man. If he was a mere man, then he could be judged for blasphemy. But Jesus, according to the first verse of this book in John 1:1, is God.

He's God. And he's also a fully man. God became a man to do what needed to be done. He's the first man that ever lived a life without sin. So when he willingly gave his life for you, he could. He bore your sin on the cross. So that by believing in him, you are no longer judged by God according to your sin. You're judged based on the sacrifice of the son of God, Jesus Christ. And if he was a mere man, he would deserve death. But he's either the Lord of lords or he's a liar and a lunatic. They say, "The reason we're gonna kill you is you say you're God." Jesus does not argue with them. He does not say, "I never said I was God." He just lets this

linger in the atmosphere today so that you can conclude either he's God or he's not. And Jesus answered them with the word of God, which you ought to always be ready. That's why we love this book. You should know this. And it not all of it's easy to understand as Jesus is going to quote a great text just to mess with our minds. Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your law?" And he's going to quote the Psalms according to the word of God that's found in your Bible. Is it not written in there, I said you are gods? Verse 34, verse 35. If he called them gods to whom the word of God came and scripture cannot be broken. Now, let me just pause here for a moment so we don't move too fast over this because there are false religious teachings that will tell you you can

become a deity that you can have uh the same authority of the godhead, father, son, and holy spirit. I'm specifically so I don't uh so I'm not confusing or gray here, the Mormons, the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints say that you can earn your way into a deity because the text says it right here. But it's a perversion of what the text is actually saying. We have to understand the full context. And I've told you this before. You look at the pre-context. You look at the post context and you look at what's being said and it will help you understand what is God actually saying. So we have to go to the text here. The text is found in Psalm 82 if you want to do a deeper dive. The psalmist which is filled with poems and song. The psalmist in this case is saying something very intense that God is the ruler over all and he made little rulers to oversee

all. The word here in Psalm 82:6 which actually let me just read it to you. This is what Jesus is quoting. I said you are gods. This is Psalm 82:6. Sons of the most high. Similar phrasing to Jesus declaring I am the son of God. Now John says in chapter one of this book about the life of Jesus to all who did believe in him and receive his name he gave the right to become children of God or literally interpreted sons of God. So if you believe in Jesus you become a son of God. Now the psalmist says you are God sons of the most high all of you. Now let me just pause there and I want to look at more context in just a moment. The word gods here with a lowercase G in Psalm 826 is really important to understand. The Hebrew word that's used often in the Old Testament is Elohim.

Elohim, a very important word. Elohim is most often referred to in the Bible as the one true God. But when it's referring to the one true God, that G is capitalized. Are you tracking with me? But it's also used frequently throughout the Old Testament. When when we read our interpretation into the English, we don't see the word Elohim. It's interpreted into a number of other words including but not limited to angels, demons, rulers, authorities, judges, prophets. Meaning the word Elohim is a ruler over something. Now God in the very beginning when we read the narrative of the the origin of all things, Genesis, God spoke into existence everything except mankind.

He formed us out of the dirt and then he breathed life into us. And the Bible says then that we, not nature, not animals, but humankind is made in his image, both male and female. And then Jesus declares over the ones he created, the male and the female, go and have dominion over the birds of the air and the beasts of the fields. Sounds a lot like God. Go rule. Go have authority. You're not under nature. You're over it. The animals are not greater than you. You're over it in some sense. I want you to reflect who I am. So when we see the word Elohim, it could be interpreted as the one true God or it could be interpreted as a ruler. And this is where when we read about in the

Old Testament about all the false religions of the world and there are still many today, the gods that they serve in the scriptures are referred to as Elohims, but not capital G, lowercase G. There's only one true God. In the Psalms, he's called the Elohim, the God capital G of Elohims, lowercase G. He's the God of gods. It's like describing Jesus as the Lord of Lords. For in the ancient culture, you would speak of a ruler, the the man of the house, a king, uh the master of a field. You would refer to him as Lord, but not Lord, supreme over all, sovereign and supreme over all. You're simply saying you rule over all. Are you still following me here? So Jesus says, "If the word of God, the scriptures, which cannot be broken, says that you

are sons of God and and you are God's, then why are you getting upset at me who says I am the son of God?" Where's the offense here? When we keep reading in Psalm 82:7 and 8 here, here's the purpose here that we see that God's not referring to us as deities. This is to bring the clarification of the false teachings of this text. Nevertheless, God says, "Like men you shall die like any prince. Arise, oh God, judge the earth, for you shall inherit all the nations." There's one Elohim, and it's mentioned here in Psalm 62:8. So now he's speaking to the religious leaders who are accusing him of blasphemy, referring himself to as God, one with God, as the son of God. And

Jesus comes back and says, "You rulers, you gods are missing it that you're just man and you've got the son of God right in front of you." John 10:36, Jesus continues and says, "Do you say of him whom the father consecrated and sent into the world, you are blaspheing because I said I am the son of God?" I want you to know clearly, and I just looked at my clock and I'm running out of time quickly. Jesus says, "The one the father sent to do what? Consecrate. To set apart as holy. To dedicate. That which has been wrong is being made right." It's as if there's this new dedication taking place. Are you tracking with me here? During the feast of dedication, a reminder of the consecration of the holy temple, you've

got Jesus, the son of God, right in front of them saying, "Here's who I am. And if I am not doing the works of my father, verse 37, then do not believe me. But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe in the works. May I testify today that every sunrise you see, every sunset is the Lord saying, "Just look at my works." Every time you go look in the mirror, oh, you can testify. Just look at my works. God made you and he did not make mistakes. Do not envy what somebody else looks like. Embrace who God made you to be. He's been showing you his work. Somebody, he doesn't need to say it with an audible voice. He's been trying to prove to you since the day you were born that he loves you. He made you. He has a purpose and a plan for your life. But once again, they sought to arrest him and he escaped their hands. How did he escape their hands? Because you can't take the life of Jesus. He lays it down.

Hallelujah. You can try to put him to death, but you can't put to death God. You can testify on a magazine that God is dead, but the reality is you're going to die. He is not. So, here's what happens next. And I conclude this with the text we conclude with today. Jesus goes from Jerusalem to the Jordan River. Hear me carefully. This is where Jesus started off his ministry out in the wilderness, far from the city, way out in the desert. I've been there. It's desolate. Wilderness in the Bible represents hardships. It represents emptiness. It represents, as the the poetic fathers of old would say, the dark night of the soul. That's wilderness. When you're stuck in the in between, when God delivers you from

slavery, but you're not in the promised land yet. You're still walking in the wilderness. It was in the wilderness that John the Baptist was baptizing people. Not the temple, not the holy city Jerusalem, but he reached the marginalized, those who were unclean, that could not come into the city, those who were willing to leave the Orthodox behind to come to John the Baptist. And he preached a simple message, repent for the kingdom is at hand. It's the same message Jesus preached. And Jesus, when he went out to the desert, John the Baptist saw him and said, "Behold the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. I'm not worthy to even tie his sandals. John was pointing to Jesus preparing the way for Christ Hamashiach the Messiah.

This is how Jesus opens up his ministry. He gets baptized pointing to his death, burial, and resurrection. Starts in the wilderness. And here Jesus concludes his public ministry where the wilderness. John couldn't do miracles because he was not the Messiah. But Jesus can. And look at look at verse 42. And many, someone shout. Many believed in him there. Do you know who the many are? They're the outcasts. They're the unclean. They're the marginalized. They're the ones that weren't received in the temple. They were rejected in Jerusalem. But when they meet Jesus in the wilderness, what happens there? They believe in him. What happened to the religious in the temple? They rejected

him. They missed the Messiah. But friends, you don't have to be at church to meet with God. He can meet with you anywhere at any time because he's God. But do not miss his voice today. You're here right now. Maybe you're in your own wilderness experience. You feel isolated. You feel alone. You're going through some hard times. and you're wondering where God's been. I pray today you have received from God his voice. He loves you. He's with you. He's about to redeem your life. But you have to do one simple thing. Believe in him. Anything outside of that is rebellion. It's rejection. It's refusing to hear his voice. Today, there's an invitation from Jesus. Come to me. Hear my voice.

And here's the invitation. Follow me from this day forward. And we heard it from his own voice today. He offers you eternal life. What does that mean? That means all your sin is now gone. And now you have the righteousness of God, eternal life. I'm not saying it's going to be an easy life. For if they hated Jesus, they could hate you. But now you have the peace of God, the love of God, the joy of God. And so I I have to ask today if that's you and you want that could be for the very first time. Maybe for you it's coming home. If you want that today, will you just raise your hand? I want to pray with you. I want to make sure you have the next steps. Just raise your hand nice and say yes. That's me. I want the good shepherd today. Praise God. God sees you. He loves you. This is the beginning of greater things. Amen. Anyone else today?

Keep your hand up. I want to see who's saying yes to the good shepherd. Just like sheep, you're coming home. He doesn't condemn you. He doesn't beat you. He carries you on his shoulders today. Who needs to be carried? Just raise your hand if that's you. Receive the grace of God today. Anyone else? Just raise your hand so I can see you. This is the love of God over your life. Receive it today. Your identity is in him. Anyone else? You know, it's never too late with God. Don't be that man that says, "I can't let the world know that I'm doing this right now." Be the one that says, "Yes. I'm just a sheep. He's the shepherd. Anybody else? Just raise your hand. I don't want to rush that. I want to make sure that I see you because God sees you and we want to celebrate it. Jesus likened this moment to a sheep that maybe has gone astray.

And then when the good shepherd finds him, he brings him back on his shoulders. And then he said, "There's more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 who say they need no repentance." Jesus isn't happy when you look like you got your life together. He's ready to redeem your life. Anybody else want to just say yes? That's me. Glory to God. That's I I want to say yes. Is there a hand here? Oh, praise God. Amen. Yes. It's full surrender. Amen. I love that posture. That's just it right there. When we worship and we raise our hands at church, there's a posture of surrender. It's you giving up your will for his. From this day forward, keep having that posture. Start your day that way and end your day that way. He's going to redeem everything in between.

Even if you mess it up, he doesn't make mistakes. Praise God. For those who raise their hands, can we join them in prayer? Just repeat after me these these words. Lord Jesus, Lord Jesus, I trust in you. You are the good shepherd. You are the good. I hear your voice. Forgive me of my sins. I receive eternal life. Today I follow you. Today I follow all of the days of my life. In Jesus name. Just stay in this posture of prayer. I want to pray over you. Lord, we thank you for your word. Now, I'm just asking that like seeds, it would go deep into our hearts and bear much fruit. That Lord, we would take you so seriously. We would long to hear more of your voice. God, let your church get into your word and be forever changed. You're a God that doesn't leave us the same. You lead us to eternal life. So I pray today that

we would reject the spirit of religion and we would receive you, the Messiah, into our hearts. God, I thank you for so clearly revealing to us who you are. You're a defender. You're willing to go to the wilderness. You're willing to meet us in our brokenness. And for that, I thank you that God, you've begun a good work. And I prophesy over your church, you will complete it. That revival is right here and it starts in our hearts. That we would boldly proclaim who you are. Central Oregon shall be saved. I declare in Jesus name. Amen. Amen.