Live Free with Josh Howerton - The Clarity of Jesus | Ep. 280 | Friday, March 1, 2024

Episode Date: March 1, 2024

As we read through the Gospel of John, we can see that Jesus made it very clear who He was and that He came from the Father. However, the Pharisees did not believe Him. Despite everything He said and did, they continued to stand against Him and even tried to stone Him. But His time had not yet come. For more information, visit lakepointe.church/dailydrive

Thanks for tuning in to today's Daily Drive with Lake Point Church, a daily dose of God's Word for your morning drive. When the word, not the world, becomes the majority of your week, your life will start to change. For that reason, our prayer is that God will speak to you through today's devotional. For more digital content to feed your faith, visit lakepoint.combe. And now let's dive in to today's devotional. Hey, thanks for downloading and tuning in to the Daily Drive. I'm Mike Brough, and we hang for a few minutes Monday through Friday. Just trying to get to know God better.

And to do that, we are looking at the life of Jesus through the Gospel of John. Even though John says at the end that he could have written down so many more amazing things that Jesus did, he highlights seven miracles that were signs to prove to everybody that Jesus was God in the flesh. So let's pick it back up today. We're in chapter 10, verse 20. it says it was now winter and Jesus was in Jerusalem at the time of Hanukkah the festival of dedication.

He was in the temple walking through the section known as Solomon's Colonnade. Verse 24, the religious leaders surrounded him and asked how long you're going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, just tell us plainly. And I love how Jesus

responds. He says, I've already told you and you don't believe me. Now these guys did not have the Gospel of John like us. But Jesus says all the way through the gospel of John, I told you, I'm the one who came from heaven. I told you, whoever believes on me is eternal life. I told you, I am the unique son of God. I told you I will judge all humanity. I told you the Hebrew scriptures all speak of me. I told you, I perfectly reveal God the Father. I told you, please, I always please God

and I never sin. I told you I'm uniquely sent from God. I told you before Abraham was, I am. I told you, I am the son of God, prophesied by Daniel. I told you, I will raise myself from the dead. I told you, I'm the bread of life. I told you. I'm the light of the world. I told you. I'm the door.

I told you. I'm the gate. I just told you. I am the good shepherd. See, the problem wasn't that Jesus was unclear about who he was and where he came from. The problem was that the religious leaders had hard, self-centered hearts of unbelief, that they just wanted to blame on Jesus. So Jesus tells them, the proof is the work I do in my life.

my father's name. You've heard my words and you've also witnessed my works. But you don't believe me because you're not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice. I know them and they follow me. In fact, I give them eternal life and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me. For my father has given them to me and he is more powerful than anyone else. I have a buddy I used to play basketball with. We were in a rec league in Las Vegas and our ten. team was the geckos. Yeah, I know, dumb name. But Scott was a great friend and a great basketball players, N-A-I-A-A, All-American, who played with athletes in action for a stint. He was great player, about six-five, so fun, to play with. And I have played with some phenomenal players. But this

dude had the strongest hands I have ever seen in my life. They were like bisk grips. He would actually hold the ball right out in front of the defender, who would swipe down at it, and then see the ball not move a centimeter. Scott would just smile. and go by the guy and just lay it in. He was amazing. Strongest grip I've ever seen. But gang, nothing compared to the grip God has on you and me. Jesus says this, and I hope it gives you hope and security.

He says, no one can snatch them from my father's hand. His grip is immovable. So just know that whatever life of the enemy throws your way, man, you're in good hands. And then Jesus concludes by repeating, the father and I were one. Verse 31. Once again, the people, the religious leaders,

picked up stones to kill him. Jesus said, at my father's direction, I have done many good works. For which one are you going to stone me? And they replied, we're not stoning you for any good work, but for blasphemy. You, a mere man, claim to be God? And then Jesus talks again about he and his father

or one that everything he has said and every miracle he has done was at the direction of his father. They try to stone him, they try to arrest him, but he slips away. And it says he goes to the other side of the Jordan River where John the Baptist used to baptize people. And unlike the hard-hearted religious leaders, many over there on the other side of the Jordan

believe in his words, and they believe in his works, and they accept them as the Son of God, and they become his sheep. And then John records the miracle. That would be the backbreaker for the religious leaders. And they already despise Jesus, that the way he accepts people, right where they are, the way he hangs out with those people that they have labeled

notorious sinners, the way he seems to violate God's law, which Jesus never does, only their self-righteous self-serving interpretation of it. They hate the way the people hang on his every word. They hate his miracles. They even blame the devil for his power. They really don't like Jesus at all, and they want Jesus to go away. But what John records in Chapter 11 sends them completely over the edge, and now they want him dead. It says this in verse 53 of Chapter 11, so from that time

on, the Jewish leaders began to plot Jesus' death. So next week, we'll go back to the beginning of Chapter 11, and we will see what happened to instill such fear, insecurity, hate, and venom in these men. It's an

awesome story that takes my breath away, and it took away my fear of dying. So, you got to come back Monday. Until then, keep a soft heart. Live in the words and in the works of Jesus. He is who he said he was. And he's going to put an exclamation point on it next week. Hope you have a great weekend. See you back Monday. Thanks for tuning in today. For more biblical teaching and worship, join us for our church online live weekend services on Saturdays at 5 p.m. and Sundays at 9.30 and 11 a.m. standard time. For more information, visit lakepoint.church slash daily drive.