John Chapter 10, 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. 

 

The Feast of Dedication is also known as the Festival of Lights and it is most commonly known today as Hanukkah.  It was a festival that commemorated the purifying of the Temple by Judas Maccabeus around 164 BC.

 

You see, the nation of Israel was under heavy Greek influence prior to the rule of Rome with that they had come under socio-political pressure to Hellenize.  In other words, to conform to the culture of the Greeks.  Several attempts to install a Greek way of life had failed…to the point that the Jews were referred to as the “stiff-necked people.”  There arose a man by the name of Antiochus Epiphanes that had no interest in Hellenizing his conquered subjects but rather he was an exceedingly wicked and cruel man who wanted only to denationalize them entirely.

 

He and one of his officers, Apollonius, entered the city amicably and then suddenly turned on the Jews who were unprepared.  The men were butchered and the women and children were sold into slavery.  He tore down walls and houses and replaced them with fortress type structures thus making Jerusalem a Greek Colony. 

 

With the cultural and logistical domination of the city complete, Anitochus Epiphanes turned his attention to destroying the Jewish national religion.  He issued a decree that proclaimed the abolishment of the Jewish mode of worship.  Sabbath’s and festivals were outlawed.  Circumcision was outlawed.  The books of the Law were ordered surrendered and the Jews were commanded to offer sacrifices to the idols that had been set up along with the fortresses within the city.

 

Finally, Antiochus Epiphanes commits the unthinkable.  What is referred to as the Abomination of Desolation.  He goes into the temple there in Jerusalem and he placed a statue of Zeus on the altar of burnt offering in the temple.  He then desecrated the temple by sacrificing a pig, an unclean animal, sprinkling the blood upon the altar. 

 

But this mere man, this picture of the Anti-Christ, miscalculated, underestimated, was quite mistaken…in believing that the God of the Jews was weak and unable.  God lit a fire within one of the priests by the name of Mattathias and Mattathias had five sons…one of which was Judas Maccabeus. 

 

Now interesting, this Judas Maccabeus…that was not his real name…Maccabeus was not a last name but rather it was a surname that was given to him and it meant “the hammerer.”  History tells us that he was strategic, fierce and filled with courage and would shout as he ran into battle, “Who among the gods is like You, O Yahweh?!” 

 

History also tells us that his name, being translated for us as Judas, was actually Judah and not insignificant, he was a holy man, a man of God from a Godly line.  Moreover, he was the third of five sons.  All of which are interesting and relevant facts.  Here we have Judah, a priest, a fierce warrior, the third (trinity?) in the line of five (law?).

 

His strategy was to avoid engagement with the bulk of the Seleucid forces…but rather he resorted to guerilla warfare.  What this did is that it gave the entire ranks a great feeling of insecurity and resulted in a string of victories against the vastly superior force.  At one of the early battles, the battle of Nahal el-Haramiah, he defeated a small company under the command of Apollonius.  After the defeat, Judas took possession of Apollonius’ sword and wielded it in battle.  This envigorated the Jewish people and basically the entire nation flocked as recruits to the Jewish cause.

 

Ultimately, Antiochus and his forces were overthrown by the Macabean revolt.  Worship of Jehovah was restored in the temple and the statue of Zeus as well as the polluted altar was removed from the temple around 164 BC.

 

Now ok, we understand why this would be the “Feast of Dedication,” but why would it also be called the Festival of Lights?

 

Tradition tells us that when Judas Maccabeus purified the temple and removed the profane elements, he and his squad went to light the sacred lampstands, or the Manorah.  However the lampstands were to be fueled only by oil that had been prepared ceremonially and sealed in a flask with the signet of the high priest.

 

The problem was that while the temple worship and Jewish religion was outlawed, none of this oil had been produced and so only one flask of oil was found.  One flask, for one day…and it would take eight days to ceremonially prepare new oil.  So they prayed.  But understand that the lampstands had to be lit because to them it signified the presence of the Lord.  And so they’re problem was an impossible one yet they proceeded in faith. 

 

Tradition tells us that they used the oil they had and miraculously the lampstands remained filled and burning not for one day, not for two days, not three…but eight days!  Until new oil could be prepared.  From then on the Jews, in memory of this miraculous presence of God, they light the menorah and celebrate on what we now know as Hannakuah. 

 

It’s a pretty neat story.  And what strikes a chord with me is that Mattathias and his five sons, they expressed great courage, great love and passion and strength for the Lord their God and all this came about by them simply saying, “no more.”  God I pray for the heart to stand in courage against what I know should not be, and more than proclaim but actually resolve to bring about “no more.”

 

One man, with his sons and one son with faith and courage…an entire fierce and evil army overturned and worship unto the One true God restored.  One man.  We often feel, “well what can I do?”  MUCH!  Pastor Larry Powers told us this amazing story while we were up on the mountain at the Men’s Retreat.  He told us of a man named Telemachus.

 

The account of this man is recorded in a great book which I highly recommend called “Foxe’s Book of Martyrs.”  This man Telemachus was a follower of Jesus Christ and lived around the year 400 A.D.  The story goes that at one point he found himself in the Colosseum there in Rome and there were two men saluting Caesar with these words, “we who are about to die, salute you!”  His heart dropped.  You see he was a Christian and he valued human life and couldn’t believe what he heard. 

 

As they began to battle he stood and cried, “In the name of Christ, stop.”  All around him, the people sneered and shamed him.  One account actually says they began to stone him.  He drew nearer to the floor of the Colloseum and shouted again, “In the name of Christ, stop!”  Still the same response and the men continued to fight.  Finally he makes it to the wall of the battlefield there in the Colosseum and shouts out to the gladiators, “In the name of Christ, STOP!”  Yet they did not hear.

 

And so the story goes, as he was filled with courage and resolve to bring about that concept of “no more,” he jumped the wall and ran out to the gladiators and as he reached them one turned and ran him through with his sword.  And as he lay there dying on the colosseum floor, once again he said, “In the name of Christ, Stop!”  And there he died.  The story goes that as the place was in complete silence, one by one people began to leave and after just a short time the colosseum was empty.  That was January 1, 404 AD…the date of the last gladiator fight ever in the Roman Colosseum.  One man.  “No more.”

 

One man.  Obedient in courage and faith.  Miraculous results.  You are a miracle…do you know that?  The fact that God called us out here to Colorado, and we came in faith, and now look at what God has done.  You are a miracle!  We get excited about new things and new miracles and we so often forget what God has already done.  One step in faith, and God is able to show forth His glory miraculously…you!

 

And here we find one Man…only He is much more than a Man…He is God Himself who came to cleanse us…the temple of the Holy Spirit as Hebrews tells us…One Man, One God who looked down upon His lost children and His heart broke…and He said “no more.”  I will give all that I have for them…to save them.  Oh God that I would have a heart of courage and strength and love to shout “no more” to the violence and sin and hurt that I cause in my life and others!

 

Verse 24, Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, “How long do You keep us in doubt?  If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Watch how perfectly Jesus clears the air…because as we have seen in weeks and chapters past, Jesus has expressly, undeniably, plainly…told them exactly who He is…

 

Verse 25, Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe.”  The problem is not that I have kept you in doubt…the problem is YOU have kept YOU in doubt.  I told you man, it’s not that I haven’t told you clearly…that isn’t the issue here.  The issue here is that you have been told, yet you don’t believe. 

 

“The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me…but you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep.  Understand the works of Jesus, what He had done, where He had come from, where He was born, His lineage, His timing, even His name…all of these were clear fulfillments of prophecies that they had even at this time…and so Jesus says, “I told you, I showed you, and yet you don’t believe.”

 

“As I said to you.”  Verse 27, My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.  Notice the flock of God, the people of God…they hear Him (speaking of His Word), they know Him (speaking of relationship), and they follow Him (speaking of obedience and fellowship).  Verse 28, And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.  My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. 

 

Interesting, did you catch that?  “My hand” became “My Father’s hand.”  Did you see that?  Jesus is being very clear!  And I love this because I want you to know, and I need to know and God wants you to know that you are eternally secure in Him.  The Bible does not speak of your eternal security, your salvation, as a garment that can be removed and cast aside.  On the contrary, Jesus here and in many other places within the Bible strongly and plainly states, no one…and last I checked even I am a “one”…no one is able to snatch someone out of my hand.  Not satan, not you, not me…not anyone.  The hand of the Almighty is a safe place.  A refuge and a place of great confidence.

 

2 Cor 1:22 and 2 Cor 5:5 say that once we are saved we are “sealed by God and given the gift of the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee!”  Ephesians 1:13 says, “having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.”  1 Timothy 4:8 says those that are saved have the “promise of life.”

 

Isaiah 43:13 says, “Indeed before the day was, I am He; and there is no one who can deliver out of My hand.  I work, and who will reverse it?”  Some think so highly of themselves…that they can reverse the work that God has done…while the Bible, the truth says clearly in places such as Hebrews 10:34 that “your salvation is an enduring possession” and in Romans 11:29 that “the promises of God are irrevocable!”  The ark is even a type of salvation as Noah and his family were saved from destruction and what does the Bible say, “God sealed them in!”  You see we can have great confidence in that we cannot lose or misplace or walk away from or have stolen from us our salvation!  And in that we are free and confident to press, man! 

 

Not afraid to fail…failure is a must!  We’re not stepping out in faith if we’re not failing…but ready to storm the very gates of hell to save the lost!  We are commanded to trust…and in that we will find great strength!

 

We are commanded ya’ll.  1 John 3:19 commands us to assure our hearts before Him!  So assure your hearts and quit worrying about you and start worrying about them!  Go and make disciples!  Go and proclaim the gospel of truth, the gospel of salvation…Go and proclaim that Jesus is the Christ…the very Son…God Himself…just as Jesus is plainly doing here.

 

And so you see how He makes that transition from “My hand” to “My Father’s hand” making them one and equal and then look, the bow tie on the matter, Verse 30, “I and My Father are one.”  The Greek word there is “heis.”  And it simply and literally has only a single meaning and that is “one.”  And once again, the Jews knew it…