Jesus continues His back and forth with the religious leaders. Today, He tells them that if they will not believe His words, they should look at His works. Friends, that is exactly where we are today at this moment. The world does not believe our words. They simply do not. We have to be able to point to our works. They do not believe us when we talk about Jesus. We have to love like Jesus, serve like Jesus, and use our works to point to Jesus. It is imperative that our walk matches our talk

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Good morning! I hope you’re having a wonderful Thursday. It’s always great to spend time together, reflecting on the Gospel of John. I hope you’ve had a productive week so far, and I’m looking forward to wrapping it up on a high note.

Before we begin, a quick reminder: I’ll be out of town next week at a camp meeting near Loosdale. We’ll have our Rooted sessions today and tomorrow, but we’ll take a break next week. I’m unsure about the internet situation at the camp, so I don’t want to promise any sessions. But don’t worry—we’ll pick things back up the following week.

Today, we’re finishing John chapter 10, specifically verses 22-42. Here’s how it begins:

“At that time, the Festival of Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. The Jews gathered around him and said, ‘How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.'”

Jesus’ response is interesting. He essentially says, “I’ve already told you, but you don’t believe me. The works I do in my Father’s name testify on my behalf, but you don’t believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”

What we see here is a continuation of the tension between Jesus and the religious leaders. They continue to challenge him, while he points to his works as evidence of his divine authority. He tells them that his works testify to the truth of who he is.

In verse 37, Jesus says, “If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me. But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.”

Even if they struggle to believe his words, Jesus is urging them to look at the works—at the evidence of God’s hand in what he’s doing. The miracles, the healings, the signs—these are all meant to point to the fact that he and the Father are one.

I think there’s an important lesson here for us today, especially in a world that often doesn’t believe what we say. We live in a post-Christian age, and many people are skeptical of the claims of Christianity. How often do we look around and feel like the world has lost its mind? I know we all do at times. People don’t always believe our words, but they can believe our actions.

That’s why our walk must match our talk. If people don’t believe what we say about Jesus, they should be able to look at our lives and see evidence of our faith. Our works should testify to the truth we proclaim. When we live out our faith in real, tangible ways—through acts of love, kindness, mercy, and grace—we show the world the beauty of the Gospel.

We’re called to make the Gospel beautiful, to let our lives reflect the grace and love of Christ. The world may not always believe our words, but they will believe the evidence of transformed lives.

In his book The Wood Between the Worlds, Ron Sontag talks about the importance of showing the beauty of Christ. We need to show the beauty of the Christian life through how we live. It’s not just about talking the talk, but walking the walk. When our lives point to Jesus, others will take notice. As Paul says in Philippians, “Whatever is lovely, whatever is pure, whatever is kind—think on these things.”

So let’s make sure our walk aligns with our talk. Even if the world doesn’t always believe our words, they can believe the testimony of our actions. And I firmly believe that Jesus can still save the world through people like you and me, as long as we live in a way that reflects his love and grace.

Thanks for joining me today. Tomorrow, we’ll dive into John chapter 11 and the powerful story of Lazarus. I look forward to seeing you then. Have a great day!