December 10, 2023     TEXT:  John 10:22-42

Introduction: The historical setting of this text of Scripture is Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights
Light over darkness, good over evil, God over Satan, life over death
I. Hanukkah is connected with Messiah coming to be the Light of the World (vv. 22-24)
A. The Scriptures speaks of God giving us light to light the darkness (Psalm 18:28; 112:4)
B. The Jews were asking Jesus if He was Messiah at the Festival of Lights
C. They were connecting the coming Messiah to the Light of God in the world.
D. This connection is clearly made in many places in the New Testament (John 1:4-7; John 3:20-21)

II. Jesus already told them who He was, but they still doubted (vv. 25-30)
A. Jesus clearly stated He had told them who He was (vv. 25-26; John 8:12; 9:5)
B. They had made themselves not of his sheep by their unbelief (vv. 26-27)
C. They had not received the eternal life that only God can give (vv. 28-29)
D. They were not in the hand of God for eternity (vv. 29-30)
III. People have always rejected the truth of the deity of Christ (vv. 31-33)
A. The Jews were going to stone Jesus for declaring His deity (v. 31)
B. Jesus questioned them with evidence of His deity (v. 32)
C. They believed He blasphemed by declaring His deity (v. 33)
IV. What we believe about Jesus determines our relationship with God (vv. 34-42)
A. We can only be children of God through the Son of God (vv. 34-36)
B. We can only truly believe on Jesus based on the truth of who He is (vv. 37-38)
C. We can only believe on Jesus as Saviour for ourselves (vv. 38-42; John 12:36)