Jesus, the Son of God: The claim of Jesus to be the Son of God is a wild claim. If it were not true, Jesus would've been a fraud, and Christianity would have fallen apart. But if it is true, then it changes everything. If Jesus really was set apart by his Father and sent from heaven, he could be the rescuer and redeemer the world needs. Recorded on Dec 10, 2023, on John 10:22-42 by Pastor David Parks.

Finding Life in Jesus’ Name is a sermon series on the gospel according to John in the Bible. Have you ever felt unsatisfied with your life? Or, even when things were going well, something was still missing? Many people sense there must be something more. But what?? John, one of the closest friends of Jesus, believed that Jesus came into the world so that we may have life and have it to the full. Jesus turned John’s life upside down, and John claims this new life — marked by God’s power, presence, and purpose — is available for all who believe.

Sermon Transcript

We’re working through the gospel according to John in a series called Finding Life in Jesus’ Name. And today, we’re in John chapter 10, considering a claim of Jesus that is either crazy or a great evil if it isn’t true, but would be amazing and would be the great hope of the world if it is. And that claim is that Jesus is not just a human being but is, in fact, the Son of God, sanctified and sent from heaven. What does it mean for Jesus to be the Son of God? If you grew up in church, you might take this aspect of Jesus’ identity for granted and lose sight of how radical this claim truly is. If you didn’t grow up in church, you need to know that this is one of the most significant things Jesus says about himself. If it’s not true, the Christian faith falls apart. But if it is true, then it changes everything. If you have a Bible/app, please take it and open it to John 10:22.

John 10:22–28 (NIV), “22 Then came the Festival of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. 24 The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.” Let’s pause here. So, John says our passage takes place during the Festival of Dedication, known today as the Jewish celebration of Hanukkah. And Hanukkah celebrates the victory of the Jewish people against the Greek empire about 200 years before the time of Jesus here in our passage. Hanukkah means dedication in Hebrew and refers to when a rebellion led by Judah Maccabee drove the Greek army out of Jerusalem and allowed them to remove the pagan alter the Greeks had set up in their temple and dedicate (rededicate) their temple for the worship of the one true God. Hanukkah is celebrated for 8 days with the lighting of the menorah and other traditions. And I really couldn’t have planned it this way, but just as Jesus was all those years ago, so today, we’re actually in the middle of the Jewish celebration of Hanukkah. Isn’t that amazing? Happy Hanukkah! Anyways, this is the setting of our story, there in the temple courts of Jerusalem during Hanukkah. And it was then and there when the people confronted Jesus about whether or not he was the Messiah. Back at the end of October, when we were working through John 7, we considered this claim that Jesus was the Messiah or the Chosen One. And back then, and really throughout this whole middle section of John, we see that people are divided over this claim. Some believe in Jesus, that he is the Messiah that God promised to send, while others do not. Some recognize the signs he was doing as proof of this claim,