In the sermon 'The Foundation of Eternal Security' by Scott Brown, the core focus is the interpretation of John 10, where Jesus speaks during the Feast of Dedication about his divine nature and the eternal security of his followers. The sermon highlights the tension between Jesus and the Jews, who question his claims of divinity. Brown explains that Jesus' works testify to his identity, yet many do not believe because they are not of his sheep, emphasizing the doctrine of eternal security and the perseverance of the saints. The sheep are described as those who hear Jesus' voice, are known by him, follow him, and are given eternal life. The sermon underscores the ontological unity of the Trinity, stating that the security of believers is rooted in the unity of God the Father and Jesus. Furthermore, it discusses the interplay between God's sovereignty and human responsibility in salvation, concluding that believers are eternally secure because of God's unchanging love and divine nature.

We will begin the reading immediately following the morning recitation in verse 22 of John chapter 10. Now it was the feast of dedication in Jerusalem and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch. Then the Jews surrounded him and said to him, How long do you keep us in doubt? 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, they bear witness of me. But you do not believe, because you are not of my sheep, as I said to you. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.

Neither shall anyone 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 my Father's hand. I and my Father are one." Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. Will you pray with me briefly? Oh Lord in heaven, we come before you in humbleness because we know that among this crowd of people who questioned and tested Jesus this day, there were many people who knew your word very well. There were many people who did all the right things outwardly in their lives, and yet when your Son spoke the truth to them, their response was to take up stones against him.

O Lord, let it be that there would be none in this congregation whose hearts would respond that way today. But open our ears and open our hearts that we may know the truth, your truth, and that it may make us free. Indeed. Amen. It's been a great delight to fill my heart with the words that are in this passage of Scripture.

We find ourselves in John 10, which records the final dialogues that Jesus has with the Jews and this rising tension. It's interesting that one of the most beloved chapters in the whole Bible of Christians, John 10, I Am the Good Shepherd, is a chapter that is so full of tension It's hard to even describe how fierce that tension is and Jesus has been telling the Jews two things over and over again that he is God sent from God and he's the good shepherd and he's also been communicating and will continue to communicate here recorded in this chapter that he is the Good Shepherd and what does it mean to be one of his sheep? And they are hostile. They've already tried to stone him three times since John chapter 5. So you have to grab the tension.

So in the midst of this tension, John, Jesus is explaining what it means to be one of his sheep. And he gives various illustrations to describe Just how secure the sheep are in his hand and there are many details that are revealed here that we'll cover hopefully one by one here, but That really speak of the eternal security of the sheep, but really the final blow, the most remarkable argument for the perseverance of the saints or the eternal security of the believer actually is revealed at the very end of our text and we'll get there, but it's an astonishing chapter. Now, John 10 is a turning point in the Gospel of John. Now, if you notice, You know, the 21 chapters in John We're only halfway through the chapters But we're not halfway through the life of Jesus We're just about three months away From the death and the resurrection of Jesus and you know at the end of this chapter Jesus leaves Jerusalem for three months And then you have the healing of Lazarus in chapter 11. And you have then in chapter 12, Jesus is entering Jerusalem in the triumphal entry.

This is how close we are in time to to the death and crucifixion of Jesus. I mean it's chapters 13 through 16 they record one night in the life of Jesus and In John 17 there is his prayer in John 18. There's his arrest and his death and resurrection So when we're in chapter 10, we're not halfway through the life of Jesus as recorded by John. We're really very much close to the end of his ministry. And you know, John here in this section makes Jesus' claims very clear again.

He is summarizing, he's restating, and then he departs for Galilee for three months. And so these are the final pictures of the public ministry of Jesus Christ and his debates with the scribes and the Pharisees and the Jews. And after this, his public ministry is mainly over, and he focuses almost exclusively on his disciples in the final Passion Week. Now, Jesus has stated that he is God he is sent from God He's the only one who can forgive sins and these are offensive and guess what they should be offensive When someone claims to be God Then you have to decide And that's exactly what Jesus is driving the Pharisees to recognize. And the truth is, if you don't believe that Jesus is God and follow Him, then you cannot be his disciple that's really the bottom line and the Pharisees are very clear on this matter so also recognize the mercy of Jesus Christ you know when someone is rejecting us we just don't want to have anything to do with them again.

Jesus continues to speak to them. And one last time before Jesus' passion, He calls the Jews to believe again and he tells them the greatness of his loving kindness. It's amazing. Jesus is so kind. And so in our text there are very clear statements about the nature of God, about the sovereignty of God in salvation, in the eternal security of the believer, which theologians in the past have called the perseverance of the saint.

So this is a very divisive message and people are deciding whether he has a demon or whether he's God and the last statement that we encounter just before this text is some who said these are not the words of one who has a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind? So that's where we're brought to here. Now I want to talk about the moment. The moment is explained in verses 23 to 25.

If you have an outline in front of you you'll see the flow of The dialogue and the the events in the doctrine that's here But first of all we find the moment the tent. It's the tension that occurred in the the Feast of Dedication and so there are these geographical and time markers now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem and it was winter now this is the only reference in the entire Bible of the Feast of Dedication and we don't know how long the gap is from verse 21 to verse 22 I'm not sure I think it's fairly short just because Jesus continues to talk about sheep and shepherds But it could be a longer gap. It's not really clear to me anyway. But it's the Feast of Dedication. This happens in December.

It was not an Old Testament feast. You know the seven feasts of the Old Testament. This is not one of them. It's called the Feast of Lights. And it's celebrated by Jews today as Hanukkah.

So it's popular among the Jews today where candles are lit in homes. How did this happen? Where did the Jews get this feast? Well, in 160 to 170 BC, a Syrian ruler by the name of I Antiochus epiphanies wanted control over the beautiful land and So he invaded the beautiful land and he came in and he defiled the temple, set up worship of his own gods, and he took the title of Antiochus Epiphanes and He slaughters a pig in the temple. He erects a statue of Zeus in the temple of God.

And he required everyone in Israel to make sacrifices to Zeus. And it was illegal to carry a scroll of the law. It was illegal to practice circumcision. And it was illegal to celebrate the Sabbath. Times were hard, and God put His finger on a family, the Maccabees.

And one of the sons, Judas Maccabeus, decided that he would form a rebellion and he did and and they were driven out and they took control of the beautiful land again and the temple and they cleansed the temple They took all the garbage and all the terrible things that had happened in the temple out and they restored worship. And it's interesting, you know, the Jews did a play on words in his name. This happens when you have tyrants. They called him Antiochus Epimenes, which means madman. And so they saved the day.

And you can read all about this in the book of second Maccabees which is a an apocryphal book and so they recleanse they cleanse the temple they rededicate it and they begin to burn the oil of the lamps. They only have enough oil for one night, but it burns for eight nights. And this is where you get the imagery of the menorah, where there are eight candles. So it's celebrated for eight days and a candle is lit once each day. So that's the background of this and Jesus stands in this temple here and He walks on Solomon's porch.

Just another note here, this is not a myth. This is a historical location. This is geography, okay? This is history. This doesn't read like mythology at all.

So then the Jews surround him and there's this tension that's demonstrated here and they say how long do you keep us in doubt if you're the Christ tell us plainly. So imagine this they're surrounding him you know David says they surrounded me like bees and it's that it's the fulfillment I believe of that statement that you find in Psalm 118 verse 2 and they're asking this question this is not a genuine question He's told them many times and he'll say it You know this this was a disingenuous Question it was really Just a question to further condemn him to cause a further public outcry. One of the men in Bible study last Monday said it's like the reporter who's walking around with a recorder trying to find a sound bite to condemn you. That's kind of what they were doing and The heart really of rejecting Jesus is displayed here and they'll find any possible reason to condemn Jesus Christ. And Jesus appeals to his works.

He says in verse 25, Jesus answered them, I told you, there you go, I told you. We've already passed by many ways that Jesus has told the scribes and the Pharisees and everybody else that he is God. He didn't need to tell them again. But he says, I told you and you do not believe the works that I do in my Father's name. They bear witness of me.

Now at the end of the gospel of John, we read that Jesus performed so many miracles that all the books in the world, if they were recorded, couldn't be contained in those books. Now John has already revealed that Jesus turns water into wine, he cleanses the temple, he heals a nobleman's son, he heals a lame man, he feeds multitudes, thousands, and he heals a man born blind. So these works, these demonstrations, these authenticating manifestations of his deity have been very, very plainly revealed in John, but there were so many miracles you can't even count them. And John makes that very clear at the end of the Gospel of John in chapter 20 verse 30. You know, and this was very plain, even way back in Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus at night.

Remember Nicodemus went to him at night and he said Rabbi we know that you're a teacher from God and then he said no one can do these signs unless he's from God. This is acknowledged. Everybody knows this. You know, John the Baptist is in prison. He's wondering if Jesus is the Messiah and he sends some of his disciples to go ask Jesus, are you the Messiah?

And Jesus says, go tell him. The lame walk, the blind see, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. Of course I'm the Messiah. And he was referring, he's actually quoting the prophet Isaiah and and other of the prophets So it was a fake question. It was just a question to catch him and then Jesus begins to explain to them what it means to believe and he tells them that they don't believe and why they don't believe.

This is the mercy of Jesus Christ. Jesus doesn't check out on sinners. He keeps speaking to them. How many times before you turned to the Lord had he spoken to you? Maybe you don't know the Lord today, but the Lord has spoken to you many times, maybe hundreds of times.

He doesn't give up. He keeps talking to you. What a blessing it is. What if you had one chance? One chance to hear and believe.

It doesn't really work out that way in God's economy. He draws you over and over again. Anyway, it's such an amazing thing. But Jesus tells them what it means to be in the fold. And I've listed six things that it means here.

You can see those in your outline. And the first is, you know, the sheep believe because they are his sheep. That's verse 26. Secondly, the sheep hear the shepherd's voice. That's verse 27.

And then the sheep are known. That's in verse 27 in the second section, and then the sheep follow him, that's in verse 27, and then the sheep are given eternal life, verse 28, and then finally the sheep will not be taken out of the shepherd's hand well he's describing The greatness of his mercies Towards sinners and so let's just take these one by one The sheep believe because they are his sheep, but you do not believe because you are not of my sheep. Now my sheep is a synonym for being born again. That's what he's talking about. Those who have been chosen before the foundation of the world and are his and they they are his sheep because they believe rat you know you don't be you don't You do not believe because you are not my sheep is what he says.

Not the other way around. It's the meaning of belief. We believe because we have been chosen to be his sheep. We believe because we were drawn by the Father. We believe because our heart was changed from stone to flesh and we believed as a result.

We believed because we were born from above. There's a sequence of salvation in this verse. And, you know, the choosing of God, the drawing, the changing of the heart, the birth from above, all came and then we experienced belief and we know why people don't believe he says you do not believe he's a telling them you do not believe because you're not my sheep. And he's already said that they don't believe because they love the darkness rather than the light. That's in chapter 3 verses 16 and forward.

In chapter 8 we learn that they don't believe because they desire to do the desires of the devil that's why they don't believe and Because and in John 8 47 he says you don't believe because you are not of God. So he's putting his finger on the whole matter of belief. That's why Peter, you know, when he was preaching to that great crowd after the resurrection, he said, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved and Jesus himself he had already said he who believes in me out of his innermost being will flow rivers of living water this is God's work in salvation In chapter 10 verse 26 he says, you do not believe because you're not of my sheep. Well the second meaning of being a sheep is that the sheep hear the shepherd's voice. That's in verse 27 in the first part my sheep hear my voice you know I love to sing those the words to that song that we sung many times why was I made to hear thy voice and enter while there's room.

Isn't that amazing? That my sheep hear my voice, you hear, you know, your eternal state depends on how you hear. Whether you hear with a receiving ear or any, whether you hear with a critical ear there's a very big difference here but your eternal state depends on how you hear you know Isaiah said who has believed our report To whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? In other words, who is it who has heard and believed and loved the voice of Jesus? And then thirdly, the sheep are known.

He says, I know And this is this is very much like what we read in verse 4 And I know them, but it's very much like when Jesus said I know my own and my own know me and the he his sheep are known you know in Revelation chapter 17 verse 8 we read of those names which are not written in the book of life and but when you get to chapter 21 verse 27 you read of those names who were written in the Lamb's book of life so he knows your name and records your name and if your name is not recorded in the book of life then you you don't know him. You know this brings us to that those terrifying words of Jesus that he says to very religious very theological committed Jews when he when he told them you've You've done many things But I never knew you Depart from me You who practice lawlessness? They didn't love the law really They just love the outward Crust of the law And then the fourth thing that it means to be a sheep is that the sheep follow. So the sheep follow, they hear and then they follow.

And it sounds here kind of contradictory to other things it sounds like the sheep's and the sheep initiate they take action to follow well who initiates is it God or is it man here the sheep follow whose responsibility is it for you to just to you know suck it up and believe and follow, make it happen? Is that how it works? Or is it something different or deeper than that? You know, I thought it was all of God. You know, I heard John MacArthur talk about this one time, and about these kind of seeming contradictions, these things that we just can't get our minds around.

Is it man's will, or is it God's will that saves? Because these verses, it seems like you can end up with both. Now how do you harmonize those? And so he said something like, you believe God is sovereign, right? You believe God chooses, that God draws, that God keeps, that God raises.

It's God that does it. He says, do you believe that whosoever may come? Do you believe that God finds no pleasure in the death of the wicked? You know, Do you believe that Jesus wept because sinners wouldn't repent? Do you believe that sinners are responsible to repent?

And he said, how do you harmonize that? He said, I don't know. He says, it's not my problem. This is what the Bible says. And then he said, I'll give you a test.

He said, who wrote the book of Romans? And he said, well, who lives your Christian life? Well, we know who wrote the book of Romans Well in one place, you know, we believe God wrote it, you know, but Paul wrote it too. So what's who wrote it? There's this Difficulty, you know that we encounter and then he then he asked, who lives your Christian life?

Is it God? Or is it man? And then he quoted Galatians 2.20, you know, where Paul says, I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live. And then Paul says, yet not I, but Christ lives in me. And so MacArthur says, well, even Paul didn't know whether it was him or Christ.

It was somehow, you know, both. And what his point was is Every major doctrine in the Bible has things that the human mind can't contain Because they come from God and you don't even need to harmonize them really they're all true and we have to work this is one thing that's very good About becoming a Christian and that is that you're forced to work with many complex Ideas and it's actually very good for children to do this. It improves their minds And they have to think through various nuances to things. So there you have it But what he's saying is that this is sheep follow him. Now he'll take you through everything you'll ever encounter.

You know I preached at a conference on suffering last week and I preached on Isaiah when you walk through the fire you will not be burned and I spent quite a bit of time on the word through because everybody wants to escape their problem we want to escape our problem but God but Jesus says no I'm gonna see you through your problems God brought the problem Their secondary their primary cause of your problem. That's God He ordains everything and then there are these Secondary causes these people these events these economies these tragedies these are the secondary causes But there's a primary cause but here's the beautiful thing about it God will walk with you through the fire and through the flood and through the river that you can't withstand he'll see you through and so they follow me who wouldn't want to follow a shepherd that will see you through everything and Then we learn in verse 28 that the sheep are given eternal life. Now when we get to verse 28 We've arrived at one of the strongest clearest statements in the entire Bible guaranteeing the eternal security of the believer these are some of the most absolute guarantees of eternal security and they declare an irreversible Unquenchable unbreakable and I'm gonna say undeniable Security of the believer now I've found this I've I've found this so comforting.

I really have all week long to consider this JC Ryle says a stronger form of speech can hardly be found in the whole range of the Bible So that's verse 28 puts you there and we learn here that the sheep are given eternal life. That's the first part of 28 and I give them eternal life. Jesus is the giver. He is the initiator and the founder of the eternal life that he gives. He takes the action.

Yes, you follow, but he also gives at the same time. And it is everlasting life. And Jesus has spoken of this many times, you know in John 3 16 Maybe the most famous verse in the New Testament for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son That whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life and this this just shows a God who has very strong affections that do not change for all eternity. Now, do you see those words never perish? Never perish.

You know, one of the values of meditating on Scripture is that there are things that just jump out at you. And this last week, I don't remember when it was, that word never just grabbed me. Never. Do you see that word? Never.

And I thought, you know, Jesus uses this word over and over again never children if you forget everything I say remember the word never remember that word never I almost titled the sermon never Because I think it does bring everything together in John 4 14 He said whoever drinks of the water I shall give him Shall never thirst in John 6 35. He said I am the bread of life he who comes to me Shall never hunger and he who believes in me shall never thirst In John 6 37 he says that he will by no means cast out the one who comes to him and he uses the double negative by no means it means never never he will never never turn away from his sheep because of their sins their weaknesses their lack of wisdom there's their stupid things they say and do He will not cast us out because of our foolishness. In John 8.51 he says, If anyone keeps my word, he shall never see death. In John, of course, in John 10.28 we read this, They will never perish. In John 11.26 he says, whoever believes in me shall never die well this this is this word never appears all over the Bible you know the Apostle Paul in first Corinthians 13 says love never fails in Hebrews 13 5 we learned that God says I will never leave you or forsake you the word appears all over the Old Testament God says he will never flood the earth again in Genesis 9 in Lamentations 322.

He says his compassion's never fail In Psalm 994 verse 14, he says the Lord will will never forsake his people and never cast them off in Judges 2 1 he says I will never break my covenant with you in Job 34 12 says that God will never do wickedly or pervert justice. In Psalm 55-22, he shall never permit the righteous to be moved. In Psalm 112-6, he says that the righteous men will never be shaken and will have an everlasting remembrance. In Jeremiah 33 17 we learn that David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel. In other words, there will always be a shepherd for his people.

Joel 2.26 says this, my people shall never be put to shame. Never never never never no never. It's remarkable. And of course there are stern warnings that are also encompassed in this word never in the Bible for those who never believe. In 2 Timothy 3, 7 we learn about those who are always learning but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

They're just intellectuals. In Mark 3.29 we read of those who reject Christ to the very end and he who blasphemes the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness but is subject to eternal condemnation. You know, Jesus talked about the fire in Mark 9 43 that shall never be quenched. So there are marvelous promises surrounding this word never, either for heaven or for hell, for all eternity. And you know, not only will the believer never perish, But the believer will never be snatched or ripped from his hand.

That's the next phrase in verse 28. You know, weak as we are, we'll be brought back. Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it. Prone to leave, the God I love. He always brings you back.

But the sixth thing it means to be a sheep is the sheep will not be taken out of his hand Neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand." In other words, if you have the grace of God, You can't lose it. If you do lose it, it means that you never really had it. That's why John writes in 1 John, he says, they went away from us because they were not part of us. That's that was the problem. But he's holding your hand here.

His hand is holding you, do you see that? And no one can snatch you out of his hand. So I think you need to get wrapped wrapped around the imagery here that God and His Son hold you in His hand. And I heard an illustration of a father, a father who's walking with his son along railroad tracks. You know railroad tracks can be very dangerous if a train comes.

And he's walking his three-year-old by the railroad tracks. Now he could say to his son, you hold my hand as tight as you can. He could say that to his son. But he could also say, I'm going to hold your hand and I will never let it go and that's the kind that we find here being held isn't doesn't depend on our grip it's his grip and interesting Jesus says this you know are the sheep held in the Father's hand or the Son's hand? You know, God the Father says, I will hold your hand in Isaiah 41.

He says, I'm the first and the last. I am he. This is in verse 13 in Isaiah 41. For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, saying, fear not, I will help you. And then in verse 41, he says, fear not, for I am with you, be not dismayed, for I am your God, I will strengthen you.

Yes, I will help you. I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness." So who's holding your hand? Well, it's the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God and God the Father. That's who's holding your hand. That's the answer to the question.

That's who's holding your hand. And you can read about the hand of God in the Bible in Isaiah 41 it says that your name is engraved on his hand and in Psalm 37 He says that the the Lord orders the steps of His sheep and He upholds them. And He says this in verse 23 in Psalm 37, though He fall, He shall not be utterly cast down for the Lord upholds him with his hand he has a hand that you will your hand will never slip out of in first Chronicles chapter 4 verses 9 and 10 J bez cries out for God's hand you know J bez was born in the pain of his mother and he cries out, he said, he said, Lord enlarge my territory that your hand would be with me, keep me from evil that I may not cause pain and God granted him is the request the request of the sinner to hold the hand of God will be granted in Psalm 89 it's a mighty hand He says you have a mighty arm Strong is your hand and high is your hand This is really an illustration of Joshua 4 where they crossed over the Jordan on dry land they set up these memorial stones and what did God say?

The hand of the Lord is mighty. God carries you through. That's the whole idea. In Jeremiah 18, 6, we're like clay in the potter's hand. In Psalm 63, verse 8, following, the soul following hard after God is declared there and then he says your right hand upholds me and then in Psalm 138 verse 7 he holds your hand in the midst of trouble though I walk in the midst of trouble You'll revive me.

You'll stretch out your hand Against the wrath of my enemies and your right hand will save me you'll stretch out your hand and save my life no matter where you go Psalm 139 where can I go from your spirit if I ascend to heaven you are there and then he says no matter where I go anywhere in the world even there your hand shall lead me your right hand shall uphold me David says in Psalm 18 verse 35, your right hand has held me up? There are many places where we find this. I have many of them. But This is the doctrine of eternal security. In Ephesians 1 we read that he chose us in him before the foundation of the world.

That's being held in his hand. In John 5.24, those who hear and believe have everlasting life and shall not come into judgment but has passed from death to life in john 3 16 and 18 he says he who believes in me will never be condemned So he will not lose his own his hand is strong to hold you this is the perseverance of the Saints you know Peter talks about it like this he says we are kept by the power of God so this this really is summarized in our confession of faith, the Baptist Confession. Here's how it reads. It's the section on assurance. I had the privilege of preaching on this chapter many years ago.

Here's how it reads, They whom God hath accepted in his beloved Son, effectually called and sanctified by his Spirit, can neither totally nor finally fall away from a state of grace but shall certainly persevere to the end and be eternally saved." And then the confession also recognizes that this perseverance doesn't mean perfection, that believers go through temptations by Satan in the world and through the corruption remaining in them and they neglect, They neglect the means of grace and they fall into sin from time to time and they incur God's Displeasure and they grieve the Holy Spirit But the Confession says that it isn't your perfections that hold you It's his perfections that keep you And he holds your hand don't you love that song he will hold me fast He will hold me fast. Well, that's the doctrine that is here So then after stating that no one can snatch his sheep from his hand, Jesus gives the reason. And it's really an astonishing statement. It's the capstone. It's the absolute reason.

It's the final reason beyond all the other reasons. And the reason for your eternal security is because His unity with the Father. They are one. The Father's power is Jesus Christ's power and it is an irresistible power. And so we find the foundation of the security of the sheep.

It's in verse 30. I and the Father are one. That's the foundation for your eternal security. Literally, I and the Father are one thing. Now that doesn't mean that they are one person, they are three persons.

He's not talking about the unity of God the Father and the Son in their purpose or their activity, but it's their unity of being. That God the Father and God the Son are one in every divine perfection, one essence existing in three persons. But he's not saying that the three in the Trinity are one person, they are three persons. He is speaking of one being, co-equal and co-eternal. That's what he's speaking of.

Now let me just give you a quick Way to understand this I'm gonna give you seven things very quickly God is one there is only one God number two The father is God number three the son is God Number four, the Holy Spirit is God. Number five, the Father is not the Son. Number six, the Son is not the Spirit. Number seven, the Spirit is not the Father. Theologians call this the ontological unity of the Trinity one being one essence God is not a composite of various characteristics he is he is all of his attributes at one time God is one when Moses in the Shema in Deuteronomy 6 for the Lord your God the Lord is one that's exactly what he was talking about Right here.

This is the ontological unity The theologians speak of the economic unity which speaks of The roles of the various members of the Trinity in redemption the sons role in the incarnation his submission to his father's incarnation This is the economic Trinity. The Trinity is a very very deep subject, but here's the point Jesus is telling the Jews that eternal security is founded upon God who is Father and Jesus Christ, His Divine Son. And Jesus' unity with his father is their security you have a father you have a Savior you have a shepherd you have the Spirit and they are one in their essence and the Jews knew exactly what he was saying they understood it all along and so that's why they pick up stones they've already picked up stones three times now this is number four we were whatever happened to those stones But they picked them up verse 31. This is the response of the Jews then the Jews took up stones again to stone him The fourth time now imagine the scene You know what stopped them? There are probably several answers to that question.

One is, it was not his time. But I think we often underestimate the absolute majestic grandeur of the presence of Jesus Christ. Remember when he cleansed the temple? He goes into the temple and with a little whip he chases everyone out, thousands of people, and they didn't touch him. Why didn't they touch him?

Because he had an heir of authority like no one ever had and they picked up the stones and at And at some moment they drop them. And I attribute this to the absolute incomparable wisdom of Jesus Christ and the power of his words. That's why when they came to arrest him, he just speaks a few words and they fall to the ground. There was something about Jesus Christ incomparable. He is the incomparable, unrepeatable presence of God in the world.

Okay, so What do we think of all this? You know, I mean, I always want to know, you know, who am I in the story? Am I one of the Jews who has this really nice life going and I know all the doctrine and I do all the right thing? Am I those people? But this this wonderful doctrine of eternal security that really leaves only question only one question and that is am I one of the sheep?

Do I Do I hear his voice in my heart and I love the sound of his voice and I want to follow him? How can you know if you're held in His hand? And the only sure test is that we have a living faith, and we have a heart inclined toward Him. Not that we're perfect in all of our ways. We absolutely are not.

Is He changing your life? Are you being transformed into the likeness of Jesus Christ? And if you want to have a really clear diagnostic questioning, turn to the book of 1 John. The whole book of 1 John was written to help you know whether you're a Christian And he asks multiple questions to help you understand whether You are in his hands or not You know Jesus is claiming that if you believe in Him, that you have everlasting life. His success rate is 100%.

And he brings all of his sheep home not because of the works that they've done not because of their character but we are forever in God's sheepfold because of who God eternally is. He has loved us eternally. You know back back in earlier in John 10, Jesus says, I know the Father, I know you, you know me, and this is the essence of being a sheep. We are known and we know, and the father knowing the son and the son knowing the sheep is equal to the son knowing the father and The son knowing the sheep. There's this inner relationship in the knowledge of God that we are Paul speaks of in Ephesians 1 we are in him he chose us in him we are put in him salvation is being included in him in the family of God every outcast has a family It's the family of God forever and it never ends people say you know, what do you do with all the Broken people and broken families and all the single people who have nowhere to go.

It's the family of God You've you're put in Him and you're put in His heavenly family and you're also put in an earthly family and every person who comes in to the kingdom of God has a local church and he has fathers and mothers and brothers and sisters and aunts and uncles spiritually because we're a spiritual family and that's the whole idea and the essence of his being is love he elects out of his love his electing love never changes and Jesus is one with his father and his father is one with him and in their everlasting omniscient omnipotent omnipresent co-eternal co-equal independent essence of being is the security of the believer. It is fundamentally grounded in nothing less than God, in all of his essences existing co-eternally co-equally one essence three persons one family brought in together for all eternity and that's the foundation of eternal security and The sheep believe because they are his sheep and the sheep hear the shepherds voice and the sheep are known by the shepherd and the sheep follow the shepherd and the sheep are given eternal life and the sheep will never be taken out of the shepherd's hand and the sheep are everlastingly taken into the fellowship of the eternal God the Father God the Son and God the Spirit God and three persons do not change God can never stop loving his sheep because he never started this is everlasting love This is one of the most comforting things that a believer can know.

In the midst of all their mistakes, all their weaknesses, all the ways they fall short in every single relationship of their life, in all their practices, they have a strong hand to hold them for all eternity. This is the love of God in Christ Jesus. Would you pray with me? Lord, These things are too wonderful for us, but we're so thankful for your everlasting love and the opportunity to celebrate it today, all together as a family, your family. Amen.