December 1, 2010
TAKE CARE OF YOUR BUSINESS
John 10:22-42
Brian Neitzel
Central Truth
Our actions do, in fact, speak louder than our words. When there is inconsistency between the two, the people who are watching us take notice.
Key Verse | John 10:38
“[T]hough you do not believe Me, believe the works . . . .” (John 10:38)
John 10:22-42
I and the Father Are One
22 At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon. 24 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, 1 10:29 Some manuscripts What my Father has given to me is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”
31 The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. 32 Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” 33 The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.” 34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’? 35 If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be broken— 36 do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? 37 If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; 38 but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” 39 Again they sought to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands.
40 He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing at first, and there he remained. 41 And many came to him. And they said, “John did no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true.” 42 And many believed in him there.
Dive Deeper | John 10:22-42
Over the past couple of years, I’ve been working with a friend who is an outspoken cynic. He’s the guy in the office who challenges everything and worries about all the bad potential outcomes. His cynicism is at its peak when a new business partner walks into our office with his faith on his sleeve. The reason is that my friend's life experience tells him that it’s the Christians who, in the end, have made the worst partners. Too often, he’s seen one of us talk the talk, but not walk the walk.
Unfortunately, this pattern goes all the way back to the life of Christ (see Matthew 23:1-12). So in today’s reading when Christ’s deity is being challenged, He points to His works as a defense. "[T]hough you do not believe Me, believe the works” (John 10:38). Business isn’t the only place where we sometimes look the part, but don’t follow through with consistent actions. There are plenty of social examples in which people feel the pressure to put on a façade of spirituality to be acceptable, but their actions give testimony to a different set of beliefs.
An honest assessment would probably indicate that all of us fall into this façade from time to time. However, if there is a trend in our lives when we consistently act in a way that is inconsistent with what we say we believe, it has to give us pause about whether we truly believe what we say. At a minimum, we should know that the cynics around us have already begun to question the truth of our words.
Hebrews 4:13 (NIV) says that “[n]othing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” The façade may have some social or business value, but it doesn’t fool a God who wants our words and our actions to testify jointly to His goodness.
Discussion Questions
1. Where in your life are you acting in a way that you wouldn't want your pastor to know about? With whom are you compromising your witness because of it?
2. Do you trust God in your workplace, or do you cut corners because you believe success or failure depends on you?
FAMILY DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. In verse 27, who are the sheep?
2. Can anyone snatch the sheep away from the shepherd?
3. Read Romans 8:35-39. How does it make you feel that, if you have accepted Jesus as your Savior, no one can separate you from Him?