The Gospel of JohnThe Greatest Case Of Misidentification

John 10:30 “I and my Father are one.
31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.
32 Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?
33 The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.
34 Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?
35 If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken;
36 Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?
37 If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not.
38 But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.
39 Therefore they sought again to take him: but he escaped out of their hand,
40 And went away again beyond Jordan into the place where John at first baptized; and there he abode.
41 And many resorted unto him, and said, John did no miracle: but all things that John spake of this man were true.
42 And many believed on him there.”

1. For Had They Known It
2. The Scripture Cannot Be Broken
3. Many Infallible Proofs
4. The Messenger Prepared

1. For Had They Known It

Verse thirty and thirty-one: “I and my Father are one. Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.”

The Jews were ready to “do in” the SON of GOD for BLASPHEMY. [Now, blasphemy in the Jew’s eyes is reproachful, contemptuous or irreverent words uttered impiously against Jehovah. The one guilty of blasphemy is deserving death.]

Jesus Christ was clearly saying HE is GOD. Had these Jews seen WHO HE was, they would not have picked up those stones. Had they seen WHO HE was, they would have fallen down prostrate in WORSHIP before HIM with WHOM “we have to do.” [Hebrrews 4:13].

Turn to [1 Corinthians 2:7-8], and see how Paul by the Holy Ghost explains the hidden wisdom involved in the event of the crucifixation of the Lord of glory. “But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.”

Jesus Christ “came unto his own, and his own received him not.” [John 1:11]

Standing before them that day was GOD come in the flesh, [“I and my Father are one”] and they just did not realize it. They were blinded! No matter how much time and effort these GOOD ole doctors of the LAW spent reading their Bible; it would be to no avail … their SIN problem had left them “in the dark”.

The Holy Spirit’s way of describing the situation is found in [2 Corinthians 3:14-15]. “But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ. But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart.”

The veil, which was upon their hearts, BLOCKED their view of THE MESSIAH.

And why was this veil upon their heart? God put this veil upon their hearts because they were according to [Romans 10:21] “a disobedient and gainsaying people.” 

Precisely, it was because of their UNBELIEF [Romans 11:20 and Hebrews 4:6] that resulted with this veil being placed upon their hearts.

Sin leaves you in bad lot … a sad situation!

2. The Scripture Cannot Be Broken

Verse thirty-four and five: “Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken.”

Jesus Christ is quoting the Scripture [from Psalm 82:6]. This Scripture was given by GOD to the prophets a thousand years before this! “I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.”

Now, The SCRIPTURE said this, and having said this, it is a PROMISE that cannot be broken.

Let us note two things, first, before we go any further.

• The first thing: by Psalm 82:7 we can be certain that the statement: “Ye are gods” by Jesus Christ to the Jews that day … was in no reference to them [the Jews] being gods. Men are not gods!

• The second thing: when the “sons of God” presented themselves before God in the book of Job [Job 1:6] the SCRIPTURE revealed to us that there are other “gods” beside GOD.

Now, where is the proof? The proof is the pudding! The proof is The BOOK! The existence of other gods is throughout the Scripture. Let’s just turn to one such verse [in Exodus 15:11]. “Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?”

Did you see that … “O Lord, among the gods?” There ARE other “gods.”

Now, what is Satan called in Second Corinthians chapter four, verse four? Why, he is called: “the god of this world”.

When Jesus Christ said to the Jews that day: “the scripture cannot be broken”, HE was referring to the judgment found in Psalm 82:1 [THE SCRIPTURE], where “God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods.”

This JUDGMENT according to Jesus Christ is happening throughout TIME [and will happen in a future TIME] and is a fact [which cannot be broken].

The Scripture cannot be broken! Amen!

3. Many Infallible Proofs

Verse thirty-two: “Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?”

And now verse thirty-seven and eight: “If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.”

The works performed on this earth by Jesus Christ are proofs of WHO he is.

When Jesus told the followers of John the Baptist to tell John of the WORKS that HE did [the miracles, signs, and wonders] [Luke 7:22b], “how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached”, HE was telling them [and John] that you can figure out WHO I AM by MY works!

These works consist as many infallible proofs pointing to the fact that Jesus Christ … the SON of GOD is GOD come in the flesh. Furthermore, these infallible proofs will only open your eyes if you have any sense at all.

Now, may you use this sense!  See [in Acts 1:3] how and where the Spirit of God applied this all important phrase … MANY INFALLIBLE PROOFS.

Let us read Acts chapter one, verse three: “To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.”

These infallible proofs are provided to us [Gentiles], and to them [Jews], to show that Jesus Christ is literally God.

Let me read to you from Hebrews chapter two, verse four: “God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?” [Hebrews 2:4]

4. The Messenger Prepared

Verse forty and forty-one: “And went away again beyond Jordan into the place where John at first baptized; and there he abode. And many resorted unto him, and said, John did no miracle: but all things that John spake of this man were true.”

Every move Jesus Christ made … had a purpose. We need to see the purpose here. This time the LORD goes to the place of the forerunner … where John had run his course.

The LORD gives verification to John’s ministry, that he was a messenger prepared of the LORD.

 In summation, Jesus Christ is saying, John the Baptist ran his race well. “John did no miracle: but all things that John spake of this man were true.”

Let us go further. Everything John said about Jesus came TRUE [that is fulfilled]. That is the MARK of a true prophet, which is defined in the BIBLE in [Deuteronomy 18:22].

“When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.”

John’s ministry passed the “acid test.” By this criteria John had fulfilled the requirement of a true messenger from God.

To sum up, John’s ministry was to prepare the way of the first coming of Jesus Christ the Messiah [The First Advent] as the Scripture prophesied. The Scripture cannot be broken!

Now turn to [Malachi. 3:1], and see! “Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.”

What greater thing can be said of man than that which the Son of God had said of John the Baptist. “John did no miracle: but all things that John spake of this man were true”.

Now what will be said of us here today living in this age of GRACE? Here is my desire.

If only we could have this said of us, [we … who are Christians], that was said of John, in that great soon coming meeting in the air.  I am talking about our witness and testimony, of how we spoke the word of truth [in words and in actions], about Jesus Christ to the lost, and dying souls in this old world. What will HE say?

Oh, if we only could be the ambassadors today that John the Baptist was in his day … to The LORD.

“To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.” [2 Corinthians 5:19-20] Amen!