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No One can Snatch Them out of My Hand
No One can Snatch Them out of My HandJohn 10:22-42 Key Verse: 10:28 “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.” Have you ever wondered why life on earth seems so short and difficult? There are so many things that we have to struggle with; things like future security, relationship problems, health issues, etc. After all this our bodies breaks down and we die. But, in today’s passage, Jesus teaches us that he gives eternal life and that no one can snatch us out of his hand. This is a great truth that Jesus wants us to accept. But you may be asking yourself, what does it mean to have eternal life? Do I really have eternal life? Suppose I do. If I make a big mistake, can I lose eternal life? Many people have these questions and Jesus has the answers. Today let’s accept Jesus’ gift of eternal life with absolute assurance. First, people in unbelieving suspense are not Jesus’ sheep (22-26). Look at verses 22-23. “Then came the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon’s Colonnade.” The Feast of Dedication commemorated the restoration of the temple worship around 166 B.C. after its desecration by an ungodly Syrian ruler. Today this Feast is known as Hannukah. Temple worship had been restored, but the people controlling the temple and the worship there did not love God or care for his sheep, so when Jesus visited the temple he often got into conflicts with the Jewish leaders. Jesus was fighting hard to restore Bible study and prayer in the temple. Look at verse 24. “The Jews gathered around him, saying, ‘How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.’” The Jewish leaders claimed that Jesus was keeping them in suspense and they demanded that he tell them plainly if he was the Messiah, but their question and demand were not real. They were only looking for some excuse to kill Jesus. Jesus was not keeping them in suspense at all. In Chapter 8 Jesus had already told them very plainly who he was. In response to their question about having seen Abraham, Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, before Abraham was born, I am!” This was a very plain statement to the Jews. The Jewish leaders clearly knew that Jesus was claiming to be God because their response was to pick up stones in order to stone him for blasphemy. Jesus had told them very plainly who he was but they did not accept it. They were in suspense, not because Jesus did not tell them plainly who he was, they were in suspense because of their own disbelief. They were in suspense because they wanted to trap Jesus in his words and find a way to kill him. Look at verses 25-26. “Jesus answered, ‘I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father’s name speak for me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep.’” Jesus revealed himself as the Messiah by his words and by his miracles. First, let’s think about Jesus words. Jesus said, “I am the Bread of life.” Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.” Jesus said, “...before Abraham was born, I am.” Jesus said, “I am the gate for the sheep.” Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd.” Jesus made these declarations boldly and publicly. Whenever Jesus used the words “I am,” he was referring to Exodus 3:14, which says, “God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: “I AM has sent me to you.”’” It was clear to the Jews that Jesus claimed to be the Messiah and God himself. That is why they wanted to stone Jesus on several occasions. They knew very well what Jesus was saying. If they couldn’t accept Jesus words, Jesus told them they should just look at the miracles he had done. Up to this point, John has only recorded five of Jesus’ miracles in detail but he implied that Jesus had done many more miracles among the people. Jesus changed water into wine at the wedding at Cana in Galilee. Jesus healed a royal official’s son who was dying. Jesus healed a man who had been a paralytic for thirty-eight years with one word from his mouth. Jesus fed five thousand people with five loaves and two fish. Jesus gave sight to a man born blind. These were things that only the Messiah could do. There was overwhelming evidence that Jesus was the Christ. The Jews’ problem was not lack of evidence, it was their unbelief. They deliberately suppressed the truth and decided not to believe, so Jesus told them very simply, “you are not my sheep.” Sheep don’t have many responsibilities but every sheep of Jesus has an absolute responsibility to believe in Jesus and to follow him. Those who reject Jesus’ words and works are not Jesus’ sheep. Second, Jesus gives eternal life (27-28). Jesus could have stopped by saying, “You are not my sheep,” but Jesus went on to teach them again the beautiful relationship he has with his sheep. Look at verse 27. “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” It is a divine mystery, but Jesus’ sheep listen to his voice. Jesus knows his sheep and his sheep follow him. Then what does Jesus do for his sheep? Look at verse 28. “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.” Jesus gives eternal life to his sheep. What is eternal life? Different people may say different things. A Hindu may say that eternal life is continual reincarnation, coming back from death sometimes as a pig, a lizard, or at best a cow. A Buddhist may say that eternal life is to become nothing and melt into the oneness of the universe. A Muslim may say that eternal life is endless pleasure in heaven with their seventy-two virgins. What does Jesus say? In John 17:3 Jesus said, “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” Eternal life is to know God through Jesus Christ. We mere human beings can know God, and knowing God is to have eternal life. I certainly cannot tell you everything about knowing God in this short message. Knowing God doesn’t necessarily mean knowing everything about him. It means knowing him in a personal one-to-one relationship. Think about our human relationships. We have many personal relationships with others, but that doesn’t mean we know everything there is to know about the other person. However, in our close personal relationships we know the core or the essential characteristics of that other person. It is the same way with our personal relationship with God. So what are God’s fundamental characteristics? According to the Bible there are two outstanding characteristics of God. First consider God’s love. The Bible says, “God is love” (1 Jn 4:16). To know God is to know the love of God. 1 John 4:9 says, “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” We begin to know the love of God when we accept Jesus’ atoning sacrifice for our sins. Romans 3:23 says, “...all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Sin is a spiritual disease that resides in every soul. Sin degenerates the image of God and makes us wretched and takes away the eternal life that Jesus offers. We can’t cure this spiritual disease, but while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. God loved us so much that he sacrificed his one and only Son for us. Jesus’ holy blood cleanses our sinsick blood and restores the image of God in us. When we accept God’s love in Jesus, we begin to love Jesus. We begin to worship Jesus and to serve him with gratitude and praise. We begin to love others with the love of God. Heaven is filled with people who love God and love one another with the love of God. Second, the Bible says that God is holy. God is perfect in moral and spiritual quality in his very nature and in everything he says and does. To know God is to know the holiness of God. It is to long for the holiness of God more than anything else. We want to be holy in our feelings, thoughts and actions. 1 Peter 1:15-16 says, “But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’” We cannot make ourselves holy, but God has given us the precious blood of Jesus that sanctifies us. God has given us his Holy Spirit to dwell in us and to produce his holiness in us. There is no sin in heaven. All of God’s children become as holy as our Lord Jesus Christ is holy. However, knowing God is not just about knowing the characteristics of God. It is not knowing about God. It is knowing God personally through the grace of Jesus Christ. When we form a relationship with Jesus we have eternal life. This eternal life begins the moment we believe in Jesus’ words. Jesus said in John 5:24, “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.” Knowing that we have eternal life changes us completely. We are no longer anxious about anything. We have true peace in our hearts and joy in our souls. Jesus gives eternal life. It is not something we earn. Jesus gives it to us when we believe his word. Jesus can give eternal life because he is the author of life. John 1:4 says, “In him was life and that life was the light of men.” May God help each of us to simply accept Jesus’ gift of eternal life. Third, no one can snatch them out of Jesus’ hand (28-30). Not only can Jesus give us eternal life, he also has the authority to promise us that once he has given it to us, no one can take it away from us. Look at verse 28. “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.” Jesus says “they shall never perish.” This means that we will never lose the eternal life that Jesus gives. Of course, our bodies will get old. We experience that our hair turns gray, wrinkles appear on our faces, and our bones begin to creak. Someday our bodies will stop working. We call this “bodily death.” But for Jesus’ sheep, it is entry into the kingdom of God. In the book of Acts, Stephen was stoned to death for preaching the gospel. At the moment of death, he said, “Look, I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God” (Ac 7:56). The moment of death is the time of passing into the eternal kingdom of God. Jesus promises us, “they shall never perish.” Once we receive eternal life from Jesus it is ours forever and we will never perish. Look at verse 28 again. “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.” Jesus promises that no one can snatch us out of his hand, however, the devil tries very hard to do just that. He reminds us of our sins. He condemns us for our weaknesses. He might even send persecution against us even through close family members. But we must remember Jesus promise that no one, not even the devil, can snatch us out of Jesus’ hand. Once we are in Jesus’ hand we are safe for eternity. We must believe this and live victoriously. Look at verse 29. “My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.” Jesus’ assurance came from his Father God. God is almighty. No one can take something from him. God entrusted his sheep to Jesus. Jesus laid down his life to save them. Through Jesus they go back to the Father and no one can stop it; no one. When Jesus said this, he was well aware of the spiritual condition of his disciples. They were going to make mistakes. They would fail. Jesus did not put his confidence in them. Jesus put his confidence in God. Jesus knew that God would never fail. God would bring them to his kingdom. Jesus was sure of this, there was no doubt. No one could take them from the Father’s hand. In verse 30 Jesus says, “I and the Father are one.” Once again Jesus is telling the Jewish leaders who he is very plainly and again the Jews responded by picking up stones to stone him. This proves that they were not looking for the truth, they were just looking for a way to kill Jesus. As Jesus’ sheep we should not be like the Jewish leaders. We must know that Jesus was speaking from the mind and heart of God. Jesus’ words were the very words of the Almighty God. Therefore, we can be sure of what Jesus is saying. No one can take his sheep out of the Father’s hand. God’s hand holds us until we reach the pearly gate of the kingdom of heaven. Still, a question arises in our minds. There are many who seemed to be Jesus’ sheep, but they ran away. Most of us know people who did not continue in their faith. St. Paul also struggled with this problem. In 2 Timothy, beloved disciples, whom he had trained and co-worked with, abandoned Christ for the world. But this did not shake Paul’s assurance of salvation for Jesus’ sheep. Rather, he said in 2 Timothy 2:19a, “Nevertheless, God's solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: ‘The Lord knows those who are his.’" Jesus knows his sheep and he holds us in his hand. When Jesus met Simon, he said, “‘You shall be called Cephas’ (which, when translated, is Peter)” (Jn 1:42). Jesus called him by name: Peter, which means “rock.” Peter became Jesus’ sheep. Peter followed Jesus and listened to Jesus’ word. Once, many people left Jesus in a moment. But Peter did not. Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (Jn 6:68). Peter had a life relationship with Jesus through his word. Peter followed Jesus everywhere and endured many hardships to be Jesus’ disciple. Peter followed Jesus to the cross. There, Peter had a problem. In theory, he was willing to die with Jesus, but in practice he was too fearful and selfish to do so. To save himself, he denied Jesus three times. He completely failed as Jesus’ disciple. Still, Jesus held him in his hand. Jesus visited him and restored the love relationship with him. Jesus gave him a new commission to follow him as a sacrificial shepherd. Finally, Peter became the rock on which Jesus build his church. I am so much like Peter; I am very weak, but Jesus is strong. Time after time Jesus has picked me up after my failure and restored me and showed me that no one can snatch me from his hand. Fourth, Jesus is God’s Son who saves those who believe (31-42). Upon hearing Jesus’ words, the Jewish leaders should have rejoiced in the certainty of eternal life. With eternal life, they could solve their future security problems and they could be good shepherds for their people and be happy. But they did not accept Jesus’ words. They interpreted Jesus’ words as blasphemy. Nevertheless, Jesus did not give up on them. Jesus tried to help them overcome their unbelief. Look at verses 34-36. “Jesus answered them, ‘Is it not written in your Law, “I have said you are gods”? If he called them “gods” to whom the word of God came–and the Scripture cannot be broken–what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, “I am God’s Son.”’” Jesus wanted the religious leaders to realize that God uses human beings. And when God does so, his presence through them should be honored. For example, God said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh” (Ex 7:1). It didn’t mean that Moses was God, but that God was working through him. Look at verses 40-42. “Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. Here he stayed and many people came to him. They said, ‘Though John never performed a miraculous sign, all that John said about this man was true.’ And in that place many believed in Jesus.” How refreshing! Ordinary people didn’t need miraculous signs. When they heard the word of God through John, they simply repented of their sins. Then God opened their spiritual eyes to see the Messiah in Jesus (Lk 7:29-30). In this passage we learn that Jesus gives us eternal life and we will never perish. No one can snatch us out of Jesus’ hand. We have assurance of eternal life, so we can have peace. We can have true joy. We can do the work Jesus has given us with a sense of victory. May God give you assurance of eternal life in your soul. |
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박철한
2013-04-22 17:18
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