John 10:22-42: Our Comfort in God's Sovereignty

John 10:22-42: Our Comfort in God’s Sovereignty

Please turn in your Bible to John 10. If you’re using the Story Bibles we provide, that’s on page 743. We’re going to continue working our way through the Gospel of John passage by passage. And this morning the next passage we come to is John 10:22-42. John 10:22-42: 22 At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon. 24 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.” 25 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, 26 but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 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. 30 I and the Father are one.” 31 The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. 32 Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” 33 The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.” 34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’? 35 If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be broken— 36 do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? 37 If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; 38 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.” 39 Again they sought to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands. 40 He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing at first, and there he remained. 41 And many came to him. And they said, “John did no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true.” 42 And many believed in him there. 

Not too long ago, my wife was watching a documentary on Netflix, and I got sucked into it. I didn’t really want to watch it—I was planning on doing something else—but I just couldn’t stop myself once I started. Maybe you’ve been a victim in that way as well. And this documentary was all about something called “dark matter.” Dark matter is a substance that exists in outer space, and it’s a very mysterious thing—because you can’t directly observe it. I guess that’s why they call it “dark” matter. You can’t see it. The main reason scientists know it exists is because of the gravitational effect it has on things around it. So the gravity from the dark matter pulls on the things around it and causes them to change course. And that’s the way we know dark matter exists. But other than that, it’s pretty mysterious. It’s something we haven’t even begun to really understand. 

Now let me ask you a question: If dark matter is so far beyond what we’re able to comprehend, how far beyond our comprehension do you think God is? I mean, God created dark matter, didn’t he? So if dark matter is this high above our ability to understand, how high above our understanding do you think the Creator of dark matter must be? That’s the kind of God we worship. We worship a God who’s infinitely beyond our understanding. Now that doesn’t mean we can’t know him and have a relationship with him, but it does mean we can’t wrap our minds around him. In fact, if we could wrap our minds around him and understand him, he wouldn’t be God. 

And as we look at our passage here in John 10, we’re reminded that one of the ways God is utterly beyond our understanding is in his sovereignty. God’s sovereignty means that he’s in total control of everything in this universe. He ordains everything that happens. That’s sovereignty. And this passage shows us that God’s sovereignty is both perplexing and yet also comforting. That’s our main point. God’s sovereignty is both perplexing and comforting. So let’s take those two ideas in that order. 

God’s Sovereignty Is Perplexing

First, God’s sovereignty is perplexing. That is, it’s beyond our ability to understand. We can strain our minds as hard as humanly possible, but we’ll never be able to wrap our minds around God’s sovereignty. Here’s where we see that in the text. Look at verses 25-26. The Jewish religious leaders have just asked Jesus to tell them plainly whether he’s the Christ or not. So here’s what he says in verses 25-26: “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, 26 but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep.”

So Jesus says he’s actually already made his real identity know through the “works” that he’s done. That’s what he says: his “works.” And those works are the miracles he’s performed. So far in the Gospel of John, we’ve seen him turn water into, we’ve seen him heal the royal official’s son, we’ve seen him heal the paralyzed man who was sitting by the pool, we’ve seen him use a little boy’s lunch to feed 5,000 men plus women and children, and we’ve seen him heal a man born blind. These are the “works” Jesus did, and these works testify to his identify as the Messiah. But unfortunately, the Jewish leaders didn’t believe. And they continue in their unbelief even after Jesus responds to their question in our text. Verse 31 records that “the Jews picked up stones again to stone him.”

So why didn’t the Jewish leaders heed the works? Well, we actually read it in verse 26. Jesus says, “You do not believe because you are not among my sheep.” That’s a very interesting thing to say. “You do not believe because you are not among my sheep.” Notice it doesn’t say that they weren’t his sheep because they didn’t believe. That’s what people would typically tend to assume, but that’s not what it says. He says, “You do not believe because you are not among my sheep.” There’s only one way this statement makes sense. From eternity past, God has chosen certain individuals for salvation, and these individuals are his “sheep.” His sheep are the people he’s already chosen. And the reason the Jewish leaders didn’t believe, Jesus says, is because they’re not among his sheep. In other words, God didn’t choose them for salvation. 

It’s kind of like reason you and I aren’t able to fly. Now maybe as a child you tried jumping off of a ledge or a tree with something that you thought could make you fly like a bedsheet or some cardboard wings or something like that. You at least should have tried the Mary Poppins umbrella idea, because that really seems like it should work. But of course, as we all know, it doesn’t. You and I can’t fly. And the reason we can’t fly is because we’re not birds. We’re humans. And as humans, God hasn’t given us the ability to fly. It’s not that the reason we’re humans is because we can’t fly. Not being able to fly isn’t what makes us human. It’s simply a sign of the fact that we’re human. It’s a product of being human. So our humanity results in us not being able to fly, rather than the other way around. And in the same way, Jesus says to the Jewish leaders, “The reason you don’t believe is because you’re not my sheep. The fact that you’re not my sheep is what results in you not believing.” 

And to be honest, that’s perplexing. Because, clearly, Jesus is holding the Jewish leaders responsible for their unbelief. In the last verse of the previous chapter, he tells them, “Your guilt remains.” So he’s definitely holding them personally responsible for their unbelief. And also, a few verses later in our text, Jesus appeals to them to believe as if it’s in their power to do. He says to them in verses 37-38, “If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; 38 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.” So you can see that this is a very perplexing teaching. On the one hand, Jesus says the reason people don’t believe is because God hasn’t chosen them to be his sheep. But at the same time, on the other hand, he still holds people responsible for their unbelief and invites them to believe as if they can believe. Those two ideas appear to contradict each other. So which one should we choose? 

Well, I choose to believe both of them. I don’t know exactly how they fit together, but we find both of them in the Bible—and not just here in John 10 but also in numerous other places. And so, I just believe both. It’s kind of like the way we approach the Trinity. The Bible says in Deuteronomy 6 that God is one. There aren’t multiple Gods, there’s just one God. However, in various places, the Bible refers to the Father as God, it refers to the Son as God, and it refers to the Holy Spirit as God. So which is it? Is God one or is he three? Well, just about every Christian theologian would agree that he’s both, because the Bible teaches both. We don’t understand it, we just believe it. Kind of like dark matter: it’s a mystery, but we know it exists. And in the same way, I believe God chooses people for salvation and yet also justly holds them responsible for whether or not they believe in him. 

So where does this leave us? Well, here’s my advice. Don’t speculate about whether you’ve been chosen or not. If you’re trusting in Jesus, you obviously know that you have been chosen. But if you’re not a Christian yet, don’t speculate. Just believe. Imagine an entrepreneur spending all his time asking himself, “Am I meant to be successful or not meant to be successful?” If that’s the only thing that entrepreneur does with his time, and he doesn’t spend his time working hard, I’m pretty sure he’s not going to be successful. So my advice to you if you’re not yet a Christian is simply to believe. In John 6:37, Jesus says, “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” If you’ll come, you won’t be dismissed. Jesus will receive you. Forget about the question of being chosen. If you’ll come, he’ll take you in. Stop trying to be good enough for God through your own efforts. Stop trying to earn God’s favor through your religion. And instead, just throw yourself down before Jesus feet and admit that you’re so sinful and so vile that there’s nothing you can do to rescue yourself and put your trust in Jesus alone for salvation. He’s the one who died on the cross to take the punishment for your sins. He’s the one who rose from the dead to conquer sin and death. And he’s the only one who can save you.

And if you’re already a believer, here’s what I encourage you to do in light of this text. It is perplexing. I don’t understand it. But don’t try to scale God down to fit what you’re capable of understanding. You and I have puny minds. Don’t reduce God to that level. Don’t feel like you have to explain God. Just worship him! Worship him as a God who’s beyond what your mind can fathom. Worship him as a God who transcends your mental categories and your human logic. Worship him as a God who’s far more glorious than you ever could have imagined.

God’s Sovereignty Is Comforting

So yes, God’s sovereignty is perplexing. But at the same time, it’s also comforting. That’s the second thing we see in this text. God’s sovereignty is comforting. Look at verses 27-30. Jesus is describing his sheep, his chosen ones. And he says, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 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. 30 I and the Father are one.” So Jesus takes care of his sheep. He says, “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” So basically, if you’re truly a Christian, Jesus is going to sustain you in your faith all the way to heaven. You may stumble, you may fall at times, you may even stay fallen for a season, and you may struggle in a thousand and one different ways. But at the end of the day, Jesus will see you safely through it all and help you persevere as a Christian all the way to the end. 

In John 6:38-39, Jesus says, “For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.” So here’s what we glean from that. If the sheep don’t make it, Jesus fails. The Father has entrusted the sheep to him, they’re his responsibility, so if they don’t make it, he fails. But of course…Jesus can’t fail. He’s Jesus! He doesn’t fail. So that means you and I couldn’t be more secure as Christians. Our salvation is as secure as the throne of Jesus himself. And not only Jesus but the Father as well. That’s what Jesus says in verse 29. Not only can no one snatch the sheep out of his hand, “no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand” either. And if you’re curious how that works, Jesus explains in verse 30 that “I and the Father are one,” which is a clear claim to deity. Down in verse 38, he states that “the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” So both Jesus and the Father, acting as one, secure our salvation. We’re doubly secure. And that’s a huge comfort—that the God of the universe guarantees my salvation.

I remember when I was in kindergarten, I had a crush on a girl named Carly. And one time, I really wanted to impress Carly. So, being the smooth guy that I was as a kindergartener when I wasn’t picking my nose, I went up to Carly, put my hand on her back, and told that I would protect her. I said, “If anyone gives you any trouble, don’t worry, I’ll protect you.” So I had a desire to protect her, or more specifically a desire to impress her by telling her I’d protect her, but I didn’t really have much power to follow through. I mean, I was a little kindergarten kid. If anyone bigger than me threatened her welfare, what was I going to do? Grab my slingshot and shoot a rock at him? So my protection wasn’t really worth very much. But when God says he’ll protect us and that no one will be able to snatch us out of his hand, that carries some weight—because he’s not only willing to make sure we’re safe, he also has the power and the ability to an infinite degree to make good on his promise. So if you’re a Christian, God’s sovereignty should be one of the most comforting truths for you. This sovereign God who spoke the universe into existence has determined to use his infinite power to watch over you and make sure you make it all the way to heaven. 

Now keep in mind this doesn’t mean you can profess faith in Jesus and then go on to live however you want to live, pursuing whatever sins you want to pursue, and still go to heaven. That’s not what this means. This means that a true believer won’t be lost because Jesus will make sure they persevere in their faith and keep following him for the rest of their life. It’s kind of like teaching a baby how to walk. I remember about a year ago when my son Silas was taking his first steps. As I was encouraging him to put one foot in front of the other, I held his hands to make sure he didn’t fall. So he was the one walking forward—I wasn’t doing his walking for him—but at the same time, I wasn’t going to let him fall. I was holding him up, but he was the one walking. And that’s similar to the way Jesus watches over us. We have to persevere in our faith. We have to seek Jesus and repent of sin and exert effort in our Christian lives. But at the end of the day, Jesus is holding our hands to make sure we continue doing that all the way to heaven. That’s the way Jesus doesn’t let anyone snatch us out of his hand. 

So this morning, if you’re truly a Christian, you can rest in that. You don’t have to feel insecure. You don’t have to constantly wonder if you’re going to make the cut for heaven. It never depended on your performance anyway, and it certainly doesn’t now. Jesus is going to use every last ounce of his sovereignty to make sure you get where you need to go. If you’ve trusted Jesus for salvation and if you can see evidence in your life that you’ve truly trusted him, you can have peace. Rest in Christ, rest in your Shepherd, because you couldn’t be in better hands. 

Conclusion

And not only that, but think about the fact that if Jesus is this attentive to your eternal needs, how attentive to you think he is to your earthly needs—the things you go through in this life that sometimes seem overwhelming? Don’t you think you can trust Jesus for those things also? I mean, if you can trust Jesus for your eternity, don’t you think you can trust him for your today? 

You might compare it to some prospective parents going through the costly and lengthy process to adopt a child. A couple years ago, Becky and I were thinking about adopting and went to an adoption seminar to learn more about it. And we discovered that an international adoption can cost anywhere from thirty to fifty thousand dollars. That’s a lot of money. Now, imagine that an American couple who wanted to adopt a child paid all that money and went through the grueling multi-year process of adopting a child from Africa. But right at the end of the process, as they were getting ready to travel to Africa to pick up their child, let’s say they discovered that there was this tiny fee for something that they forgot to budget for. Maybe it was parking their car at the airport or something like that. Do you think they’re going to let that tiny fee stand in the way of them adopting the child? Of course not! They’ve already paid tens of thousands of dollars to adopt the child. Why in the world wouldn’t they pay the measly fifty dollars to park their car at the airport for a week? The fact that they were willing to pay the much larger expense makes it pretty well certain that they’ll pay the smaller expense as well. 

And when you think about the way God looks after your eternal needs, why in the world wouldn’t he also be mindful of your earthly needs? You can trust him to give you grace in the midst of a difficult marriage. You can trust him to provide for you in the midst of financial uncertainty. You can trust him to open the doors to the job he wants you to have. You can trust him to be present with you through times of grief and sorrow. You can trust him to take care of you through any health issue that’s out there. You are a sheep, and he is your shepherd. As God says to his people Israel in Isaiah 49:13-15, speaking to them in the midst of their suffering: “13 Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; break forth, O mountains, into singing! For the Lord has comforted his people and will have compassion on his afflicted. 14 But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me.” 15 “Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.” “Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.”