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Muskegon SDA Church

Steps to Christ

Kameron DeVasher

Repentance

Confession

Consecration

Faith and Acceptance

Royce Snyman

The Test of Discipleship

Daniel Jean-Francois

Growing Up Into Christ

The Work and the Life

A Knowledge of God

The Privilege of Prayer

What to Do With Doubt

The chapter that corresponds to this week's message is entitled, The Work and the Life.

Basically, we've taken a look at what it means to put your faith in Christ, to accept Him as Savior, to confess and repent, and by faith trust Him and His Word.

And now the question is, what do you do with it?

What does it look like in the real life to be a follower of Jesus?

It's a very, very, almost painfully simple premise, but hopefully it has some very significant manifestations and ramifications in our life today.

But before we study God's Word, Let's start with a word of prayer.

Heavenly Father, thank you again for this Sabbath day.

Bless us now as we come together to fellowship and to worship and to study this Word of God.

Bless this time together, we ask, that you would give us the promised wisdom that only the Spirit can give.

If you would, please open your Bibles to John chapter 10, the tenth chapter of the Gospel of John.

And as you're turning there, I'll set the stage by saying that it's a big deal, if I can say it that commonly, it's a very big deal to claim to be the Son of God.

And in the time of Jesus, when he was living, it was an exceedingly dangerous claim to make.

But Jesus never asked anyone to believe in him without providing ample evidence to the veracity of his claim.

It's 1 thing to claim to be the scent of God, the Son of God, the ambassador of heaven.

And Jesus was faced with this challenge all throughout his life and ministry, particularly from his enemies and we're going to see even from some of his closest friends.

Let's go to the book of John, chapter 10, start with verse 22.

Now it was the feast of dedication in Jerusalem and it was winter and Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch.

Then the Jews surrounded him and said to him, how long do you keep us in doubt?

Now clearly this is a yes or no question.

These are the ones critiquing him, challenging him.

And notice what Jesus replies in verse 25.

Is this the first time he's been confronted with this issue?

And in the past his answer has been, yes.

He says, but they're asking again, I told you, but what's the problem?

Then he adds this, the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me.

What good is it going to do for me to tell you again when you don't believe the words that come out of my mouth?

But outside of my own claim, look at the works themselves as evidence to the veracity of the claim.

Okay, Jesus appeals to the evidence of his works.

Now that was from the Jewish leaders who were against Jesus.

If you had known me, you would have known my father also.

And From now on, you know him and have seen him.' Philip said to him, Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.

Jesus said to him, Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known me, Philip?

Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father in me?

The words that I speak to you, I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does the works." And now notice verse 11.

Believe that I am in the Father and the Father in me or So notice you can just take my word for it.

You can either take me at my word or you can inspect the works, but both of them have an equal claim.

It's just as true if I say it, but If you don't believe that, at least look at the evidence.

By the way, in verse 12, he goes on to say, most assuredly I say to you, he who believes in me, the works that I do, he will do also.

We'll come back to that at the end of the message.

But perhaps the most stinging rebuke, or at least stinging question, is found in Matthew chapter 11.

Not only his enemies asked the question, looking for evidence, not only did his disciples ask about Christ's true identity, and he had to offer them evidence.

And here Now we see in Matthew chapter 11 that Jesus' blood relative and forerunner cousin, John the Baptist, the man who stood in the Jordan River and said, behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.

As he is in prison, we read of this story.

Matthew chapter 11, starting with verse 1.

Now it came to pass when Jesus finished commanding his 12 disciples that he departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities.

And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, now there are some works that John was expecting Christ to do.

In John's mind, Christ was the Messiah that he pictured, just like most all the other Jews expected the Messiah to be.

Fire coming from heaven, the yoke of tyranny taken off of the backs and political liberation, revolution for the Israelites over the Roman Empire.

But all Jesus does is walk around teaching and preaching and healing and helping and hanging out with sinners, right?

When John the Baptist had stood and fiery preached about repentance and bringing forth fruit and here's Jesus just, It's like saying, I cleared the path for the Messiah, and you're not being very, you know, Messiah-like in his understanding of what the Messiah should be.

He hears about the works of Christ, and what does he do?

It says in verse 2, he sent 2 of his disciples and said to him, are you the coming 1 or do we look for what?

Are you just another imposter, a fake, a phony, a false Christ?

Is the true 1 still to come or are you the 1?

What's the easiest answer Jesus could say?

And I'm guessing the disciples would have said, oh, that's great.

And they go back to John the Baptist in prison and say, good news, he said he is the Messiah.

And for a good, I don't know, 30, 40 seconds, John would have felt relief.

But then he would have been thinking, wait a minute, if I went and asked a false Messiah if he's the true Messiah, what's he going to say?

Isn't that exactly what a liar would say?

This is where Jesus knew what was going on.

Jesus answered and said to them, remember it's a yes or no question, he doesn't answer with a yes or a no.

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Series

Steps to Christ

The Work and the Life

Transcript

Parent Series

Sponsor

Recorded

Professedly Christian

45m

ASI 2012 Seminar: Spiritual Growth

The Manifold Wisdom of God

1h 16m

Plenary

When All Has Been Seen

1h 43m

GYC 2011 Plenary Sessions

Respectable Conventionality

1h

Revelation Made Simple

18. Revelations Spiritual Revolution for a New Millennium

57m

The Sabbath

Atheism and Its Answer

55m

The True Medical Missionary

56m

Prepared For the Last Days: The Savior’s Method

48m

The Sanctuary

8. The Books Don’t Lie

48m

Acts: First Generation Lessons for Last Generation Believers

3. The Evidence of Divinity

1h

The Way of Love

The Way of Love- Part 9

40m

Sound Doctrine