What Jesus Did

Once again [the Jews] tried to arrest [Jesus], but he got away and left them. He went beyond the Jordan River near the place where John was first baptizing and stayed there awhile. And many followed him. "John didn't perform miraculous signs," they remarked to one another, "but everything he said about this man has come true." And many who were there believed in Jesus.

—John 10:39-42 NLT

Key Thought


Isn't it amazing the power a godly legacy has on the hearts of...

 

[Jesus said,] "Don't believe me unless I carry out my Father's work. But if I do his work, believe in the evidence of the miraculous works I have done, even if you don't believe me. Then you will know and understand that the Father is in me, and I am in the Father."

—John 10:37-38 NLT

Key Thought


As Jesus says several times in John, "Look at my work and you will know whether I am telling the truth or not." The issue isn't just Jesus' identity, but also our honesty...

 

Jesus replied [to the Jews], "It is written in your own Scriptures that God said to certain leaders of the people, 'I say, you are gods!' And you know that the Scriptures cannot be altered. So if those people who received God's message were called 'gods,' why do you call it blasphemy when I say, 'I am the Son of God'? After all, the Father set me apart and sent me into the world."

—John 10:34-36 NLT

Key Thought


The religious leaders of Jesus' day used all sorts of...

 

[Jesus said,] "The Father and I are one." Once again the people 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?" They replied, "We're stoning you not for any good work, but for blasphemy! You, a mere man, claim to be God."

—John 10:30-33 NLT

Key Thought


They're getting the message! The "I AM" statements, the great deeds of Jesus, and his self-identification as God's Son...

 

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. The people surrounded him and asked, "How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly." Jesus replied, "I have already told you, and you don't believe me. The proof is the work I do in my Father's name."

—John 10:22-25 NLT

Key Thought


Many people can claim...

 

[To the people questioning Jesus at the Temple, he said,] "But you don't believe me because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 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. No one can snatch them from the Father's hand."

—John 10:26-29 NLT

Key Thought


How strong a grip do you have? Well, know...

 

When [Jesus] said these things [about laying down his life and taking it back up], the people were again divided in their opinions about him. Some said, "He's demon possessed and out of his mind. Why listen to a man like that?" Others said, "This doesn't sound like a man possessed by a demon! Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"

—John 10:19-21 NLT

Key Thought


Sometimes we fail to hear the bite in Jesus' words because we have heard them so many times before...

 

[Jesus said,] "The Father loves me because I sacrifice my life so I may take it back again. No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what my Father has commanded."

—John 10:17-18 NLT

Key Thought


Jesus didn't just die; he died with power and authority. His life wasn't taken from him; he laid it down willingly to die for our sins. His crucifixion was...

 

[Jesus said,] "I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd."

—John 10:16 NLT

Key Thought


Jesus didn't come to save only a few. He didn't die just for one race or one people. He came for the entire world. His desire is for us to lay aside our differences and find our peace in him. When we listen to his voice, when he is our one true shepherd, then we can...

 

[Jesus said,] "I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep."

—John 10:14-15 NLT

Key Thought


Jesus knows us. He knows our hearts. He knows our fears. He knows our temptations. He knows us inside and out. Any attempts to pretend would be in vain. We do not have to be afraid in his presence. We know he wants what is best for us. He demonstrated it by allowing...