Scripture Text – John 8:31-59
Review:
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Opening Prayer
Review
Scripture study and discussion
Closing prayer
Today’s Lesson:
What did we talk about last time?
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The religious leaders trying to trap Jesus (woman caught in adultery)
Jesus claims to be the light of the world (light vs. dark, good vs. evil, life vs. death)
Introduced the idea that is popular today of the Carnal Christian
Jesus now builds on these ideas has a strong statement against the idea of the Carnal Christian…
31To
the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my
disciples. 32Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
When the Bible speaks of “belief” what does that mean? There are three phases of belief:
The First Element: Knowledge – Faith must have an object. We must know about something
before we can agree with it our act upon our belief. Many people today have a “faith in faith” –
basically faith in positive thinking. Self-confidence and optimism are not biblical faith. Our faith
must be in Christ and his work. We must start with knowledge of the Bible.
The Second Element: Belief – This is what others call “belief” or “mental assent.” This means
you agree with and believe what you find in the Bible. See James 2:19. James gives the example
of the devil who undoubtedly knows the Bible and understands theology better than we do, yet
who does not believe it in the fuller sense
The Third Element: Commitment – This is also called trust, it is a real yielding of oneself to Christ.
It is the point at which we pass over the line from belonging to ourselves (as we think) and
become the Lord’s disciples.
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There is a story of a famous tightrope walker, Charles Blondin, who would cross Niagara
Falls with different antics – blind folded, with a wheelbarrow, onetime even cooking an
omelet. He would also carry his manager on his back while crossing. After doing so, he asked
a person in the audience, do you think I could carry you across? “Sure!” the man said. “Then
go on and we’ll go” – “Not on your life!” the man responded.
This is the difference between belief and commitment
Jesus links the idea of commitment with truth and freedom. What do we see in John 18:37?
What bondage can we be freed from by responding to the truth Christ reveals?
33They
answered him, "We are Abraham's descendants and have never been slaves of anyone.
How can you say that we shall be set free?"
34Jesus
replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35Now a slave has no
permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36So if the Son sets you free, you
will be free indeed. 37I know you are Abraham's descendants. Yet you are ready to kill me,
because you have no room for my word. 38I am telling you what I have seen in the Father's
presence, and you do what you have heard from your father."
Jesus could have pointed out that throughout Jewish history, they had been slaves to empires
such as the Babylonians and even now were under Roman rule – but rather he makes it spiritual.
What does it mean to be a slave of sin? See Romans 6:5-7 – Paul talks about Christians now
being slaves of righteousness. What changes to turn us from a slave of sin to a slave of
righteousness? – Our New Nature. By having a new nature, we are now attracted to following
after Christ rather than continuing in our selfish past.
No one is ever justified without being regenerated. No one is ever born again without being
regenerated. No one ever goes from belief to commitment without being regenerated.
Jesus then begins to compare His Father with theirs, listen to their reply…
39"Abraham
is our father," they answered.
"If you were Abraham's children," said Jesus, "then you would do the things Abraham did. 40As
it is, you are determined to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God.
Abraham did not do such things.
First, they claim Abraham as their father – who was Abraham?
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41You
Physical father of the Jewish people, in this sense – Abraham is their father
Recipient of God’s covenants (Make him a great nation, all nations will be blessed
through him, owner of the Promised Land Gen 12:1-7, everlasting covenant with his son
Gen 17:19-21). It is
Abraham was declared righteous because he believed God’s promises to him (Gen 15:6)
Read Hebrews 11:8-12, 17-18 – notice that Abram believed God’s promises and then
acted on that belief.
are doing the things your own father does."
"We are not illegitimate children," they protested. "The only Father we have is God himself."
42Jesus
said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and
now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me. 43Why is my language not clear to
you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. 44You belong to your father, the devil, and you
want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the
truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar
and the father of lies. 45Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! 46Can any of you
prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don't you believe me? 47He who belongs to
God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God."
This is very powerful teaching. Jesus is showing that there are two distinct groups – those who
belong to God and commit themselves to him…. And those who do not.
Let’s talk about the devil – it is common in our day for people to think about the devil as God’s
equal opposite, is this true?
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Scripture does not depict Satan as being a funny little man in red underwear with hoofs.
This image began in the middle ages when it was common for the church to use stage
plays to teach Bible stories. They commonly used a “satyr” to depict Satan (a half-manhalf-beast character in mythology).
Satan is a fallen being (Ezk 28:12-15)
Satan is a limited being – he is not omnipotent, omniscient, or omnipresent. Satan does
not know everything and does not know the future. He cannot be everywhere all at
once tempting multiple people at once. Scripture only has a handful of people tempted
by Stan himself (Eve, Jesus, Peter, Ananias, and Judas…)
Satan is not in control of hell ruling over the torture that takes place there. Scripture
says that hell was created for Satan and his followers – hell is where Satan himself will
be punished by God who has dominion over hell.
48The
Jews answered him, "Aren't we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demonpossessed?"
49"I
am not possessed by a demon," said Jesus, "but I honor my Father and you dishonor me. 50I
am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge. 51I tell you the
truth, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death."
52At
this the Jews exclaimed, "Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and
so did the prophets, yet you say that if anyone keeps your word, he will never taste death. 53Are
you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you
are?"
54Jesus
replied, "If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your
God, is the one who glorifies me. 55Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I
would be a liar like you, but I do know him and keep his word. 56Your father Abraham rejoiced at
the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad."
57"You
are not yet fifty years old," the Jews said to him, "and you have seen Abraham!"
58"I
tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!" 59At this, they picked
up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.
Why do the religious leaders want to stone Jesus at this point? He used the name of God to
claim his own divinity and eternal preexistence. See Exodus 3:13-14.
In what other ways has Jesus claimed to be God?
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Closing Prayer
Jesus saw himself as the focus of the coming kingdom of God (Mark 1:15)
Jesus said he fulfills the law and the prophets (Matt 5:17)
He forgave sins and promised God’s Holy Spirit – these are things only God can do.
He called God his Father at a time when it would have been considered offensive
He equated a person’s attitude with himself to God: to know him was to know God, to
see him was to see God, to receive him was to receive God, to hate him was to hate
God, to honor him was to honor God (5:23, 8:19, 12:44, 45, 14:1, 9, 17)
His I AM sayings: bread of life, light of the world, gate, good shepherd, resurrection and
the life, way the truth and the life, the true vine.
In John 20, Thomas calls Jesus “My Lord and my God” and Christ receives this
exclamation. This is the pinnacle point of this gospel.