WEBVTT 00:00:00.110 --> 00:00:03.649 So before we start, I just want to take a minute. 00:00:03.690 --> 00:00:05.669 We're going to pray. We're going to ask the Lord 00:00:05.669 --> 00:00:07.429 to be guiding and directing us this morning, 00:00:07.469 --> 00:00:09.169 because if you're just here to hear me talk, 00:00:09.449 --> 00:00:14.150 no bueno. But we get to ask the Lord to be at 00:00:14.150 --> 00:00:16.010 work in our hearts, to convict us through the 00:00:16.010 --> 00:00:17.829 power of the Holy Spirit, and to draw out in 00:00:17.829 --> 00:00:20.449 His Word what He has. So let's open in prayer. 00:00:21.469 --> 00:00:27.640 Heavenly Father, good and gracious God, You are 00:00:27.640 --> 00:00:29.500 so good. We praise you. We thank you for this 00:00:29.500 --> 00:00:31.179 morning. We thank you for each and every person 00:00:31.179 --> 00:00:34.380 that's here. Lord, as we get to open your word, 00:00:34.479 --> 00:00:39.259 as we get to just dive deep together into who 00:00:39.259 --> 00:00:41.899 you are, Lord, I pray that that would just continue 00:00:41.899 --> 00:00:44.299 to change us. Lord, be at work in our hearts 00:00:44.299 --> 00:00:46.200 through the power of the Holy Spirit. Draw us 00:00:46.200 --> 00:00:48.960 to yourself. Lord, for those who are here this 00:00:48.960 --> 00:00:54.219 morning who are struggling, who are tired, who 00:00:54.219 --> 00:00:56.340 are joyless, I just pray that you would bring 00:00:56.340 --> 00:00:58.179 joy. And Lord, for those who are here this morning 00:00:58.179 --> 00:01:01.759 who have that joy and just the excitement of 00:01:01.759 --> 00:01:03.659 walking in you, I just pray that you would continue 00:01:03.659 --> 00:01:06.340 to strengthen and bolster. And Lord, help us 00:01:06.340 --> 00:01:08.500 all to be radiant reflections of Jesus. As we 00:01:08.500 --> 00:01:11.680 open your word, Lord, bless this time. We pray 00:01:11.680 --> 00:01:16.489 this in Jesus' name. Amen. I mentioned we're 00:01:16.489 --> 00:01:17.709 going through the book of John. If you don't 00:01:17.709 --> 00:01:21.489 have a Bible with you, there on the back table 00:01:21.489 --> 00:01:23.849 are these little blue books. The book of John. 00:01:24.349 --> 00:01:26.930 Take one. It's yours. There's a whole section 00:01:26.930 --> 00:01:29.049 next to it for notes. You can actually write 00:01:29.049 --> 00:01:31.090 in your Bible. You can circle. You can underline. 00:01:31.170 --> 00:01:32.890 And there's a little section for notes in there. 00:01:33.010 --> 00:01:35.530 So take that. We want you to have that. That 00:01:35.530 --> 00:01:39.310 is for you. But we're going to be working through 00:01:39.310 --> 00:01:42.049 verse by verse in John chapter 8. But as we get 00:01:42.049 --> 00:01:46.180 ready to do that, when I was younger, I took 00:01:46.180 --> 00:01:49.359 a trip to the Outer Banks with my family. And 00:01:49.359 --> 00:01:53.739 I had just purchased a Jeep Wrangler. And it 00:01:53.739 --> 00:01:56.400 was a six -speed manual. And I was working my 00:01:56.400 --> 00:01:59.980 first full -time job. And I was so excited about 00:01:59.980 --> 00:02:02.019 this. And we went to the Outer Banks in North 00:02:02.019 --> 00:02:04.400 Carolina. And there was a section where I could 00:02:04.400 --> 00:02:07.900 drive my Jeep out onto the sand. And I just thought 00:02:07.900 --> 00:02:09.960 that was the coolest thing ever. Put the top 00:02:09.960 --> 00:02:13.099 down. We're driving out. you know, put it in 00:02:13.099 --> 00:02:14.900 first. I start driving out, and all of a sudden, 00:02:14.939 --> 00:02:21.520 and I'm just digging myself right down into the 00:02:21.520 --> 00:02:25.879 sand, and I'm thinking, man, that was a little 00:02:25.879 --> 00:02:29.259 anticlimactic. I'm thinking, oh yeah, I'm a cool, 00:02:29.300 --> 00:02:32.060 cool 19 -year -old coming down here, full -time 00:02:32.060 --> 00:02:35.439 job, get to do this, and then, yeah, no, nothing. 00:02:35.759 --> 00:02:39.520 So I just buried myself right in the sand. I 00:02:39.520 --> 00:02:42.159 thought, well, I can get out of this. It's a 00:02:42.159 --> 00:02:45.199 Jeep. Four -wheel drive. So I put it, you know, 00:02:45.219 --> 00:02:47.659 make sure I'm in four. Still nothing. I just 00:02:47.659 --> 00:02:50.240 keep digging myself deeper into the sand. So 00:02:50.240 --> 00:02:51.900 I thought, okay, well, four -wheel low. So I 00:02:51.900 --> 00:02:55.439 put it in four -wheel low. Put in first. Still 00:02:55.439 --> 00:02:57.340 just keep digging myself deeper in the sand. 00:02:57.479 --> 00:02:59.280 And I just kept thinking, oh, I've got this. 00:02:59.419 --> 00:03:02.560 I don't need any help. One more try, and I'm 00:03:02.560 --> 00:03:04.800 going to get out. But every time I hit the gas, 00:03:04.879 --> 00:03:08.229 I only just kept burning myself deeper. See guys, 00:03:08.349 --> 00:03:11.949 sometimes the hardest person to rescue is the 00:03:11.949 --> 00:03:14.189 person who refuses to admit that they're stuck. 00:03:14.710 --> 00:03:17.349 And that's where the passage begins this morning. 00:03:17.610 --> 00:03:20.750 So two weeks ago, we heard Jesus make some really 00:03:20.750 --> 00:03:25.150 staggering statements in the first part of John 00:03:25.150 --> 00:03:30.889 chapter 8. In John 8 verse 12, Jesus said, I 00:03:30.889 --> 00:03:35.080 am the light of the world. Anyone who follows 00:03:35.080 --> 00:03:37.439 me will never walk in the darkness, but will 00:03:37.439 --> 00:03:42.199 have the light of life. And then Jesus said that 00:03:42.199 --> 00:03:44.960 he had come from above, while the people who 00:03:44.960 --> 00:03:47.400 were listening to him were from below. And he 00:03:47.400 --> 00:03:50.259 warned them that they could not save themselves. 00:03:50.719 --> 00:03:55.620 In John 8 verse 24, he said, therefore I told 00:03:55.620 --> 00:03:59.439 you that you will die in your sins. For you do 00:03:59.439 --> 00:04:02.400 not believe that I am he, you will die in your 00:04:02.400 --> 00:04:06.189 sins. Then Jesus pointed ahead to the cross. 00:04:06.370 --> 00:04:10.430 So John 8, 28, he says this. So Jesus said to 00:04:10.430 --> 00:04:13.870 them, when you lift up the Son of Man, then you 00:04:13.870 --> 00:04:16.129 will know that I am he, and that I do nothing 00:04:16.129 --> 00:04:18.910 on my own, but just as the Father taught me, 00:04:18.990 --> 00:04:24.449 I say these things. When Jesus told them who 00:04:24.449 --> 00:04:30.550 he is, then... He came, where he came from, what 00:04:30.550 --> 00:04:32.769 will happen if they refuse to believe him. The 00:04:32.769 --> 00:04:34.509 section ends with something that sounds like 00:04:34.509 --> 00:04:38.709 a really great conclusion. And it was in verse 00:04:38.709 --> 00:04:41.089 30 where it says, and as he was saying these 00:04:41.089 --> 00:04:44.769 things, many believed in him, right? So that 00:04:44.769 --> 00:04:47.910 conclusion two weeks ago, many believed in him. 00:04:48.269 --> 00:04:51.529 Jesus preached, people believed, everybody can 00:04:51.529 --> 00:04:56.350 go home, yay team Jesus, all right. Except Jesus 00:04:56.350 --> 00:05:00.120 doesn't end the conversation there. So when we 00:05:00.120 --> 00:05:02.899 look at verse 31, which is where we're picking 00:05:02.899 --> 00:05:06.079 up in our text this morning, it says, Then Jesus 00:05:06.079 --> 00:05:08.040 said to the Jews who had believed him, If you 00:05:08.040 --> 00:05:12.040 continue in my word, you are really my disciples. 00:05:12.879 --> 00:05:16.220 John presents Jesus speaking directly to the 00:05:16.220 --> 00:05:20.720 people who had believed in him. But Jesus immediately 00:05:20.720 --> 00:05:24.139 begins pressing in on their belief. He's not 00:05:24.139 --> 00:05:27.339 saying that continuing in his word earns salvation. 00:05:28.300 --> 00:05:31.120 But he is saying that, hey, continuing, or if 00:05:31.120 --> 00:05:34.220 you have the ESV, it says abiding in his word 00:05:34.220 --> 00:05:40.319 reveals the reality of their faith. So it's one 00:05:40.319 --> 00:05:43.300 thing to believe Jesus when you like what he 00:05:43.300 --> 00:05:46.000 says. It's another thing to remain with Jesus 00:05:46.000 --> 00:05:49.620 when his word confronts the story that you have 00:05:49.620 --> 00:05:54.129 always believed about yourself. See, this passage 00:05:54.129 --> 00:05:57.329 begins with people who had believed in Jesus, 00:05:57.430 --> 00:05:59.529 and it ends with people picking up stones to 00:05:59.529 --> 00:06:02.790 kill him. So it starts with, oh yeah, this is 00:06:02.790 --> 00:06:06.050 great. And then it ends with, we got to kill 00:06:06.050 --> 00:06:09.269 this guy. And there's something that's going 00:06:09.269 --> 00:06:12.170 on. So what happened between verses 31 through 00:06:12.170 --> 00:06:17.709 59? The short version is Jesus told them the 00:06:17.709 --> 00:06:22.610 truth about themselves. He told them that they're 00:06:22.610 --> 00:06:25.990 not as free as they thought. He confronts the 00:06:25.990 --> 00:06:30.370 very idea of their independence. He challenged 00:06:30.370 --> 00:06:33.610 the identity that they had built on their relationship 00:06:33.610 --> 00:06:37.709 with Abraham as their father, exposing that lineage 00:06:37.709 --> 00:06:42.470 couldn't secure their standing before God. And 00:06:42.470 --> 00:06:45.050 then in words that were both unmistakable and 00:06:45.050 --> 00:06:49.399 almost incomprehensible, in their weight. He 00:06:49.399 --> 00:06:51.379 doesn't merely claim to be the God that Abraham 00:06:51.379 --> 00:06:54.300 worshiped. He declared that he is the eternal 00:06:54.300 --> 00:06:58.519 I am, the one that Abraham knew, speaking in 00:06:58.519 --> 00:07:02.600 a way that left no neutral ground for response. 00:07:03.600 --> 00:07:06.139 So each time Jesus speaks as we walk through 00:07:06.139 --> 00:07:08.319 this passage, I want you to look at how the people 00:07:08.319 --> 00:07:11.779 respond. See, we're going to see that Jesus offers 00:07:11.779 --> 00:07:16.029 freedom. and the people deny their slavery. Jesus 00:07:16.029 --> 00:07:17.930 is going to tell them the truth, and they're 00:07:17.930 --> 00:07:19.430 just going to say, well, actually, you know, 00:07:19.449 --> 00:07:21.910 this is our identity. We're going to defend this. 00:07:22.310 --> 00:07:25.689 Jesus offers life, and they say, hey, we're not 00:07:25.689 --> 00:07:28.410 dead. Do you have a demon? Like, what are you, 00:07:28.449 --> 00:07:31.769 dude? And they're willing to believe in Jesus 00:07:31.769 --> 00:07:35.240 until Jesus starts to contradict them. And still 00:07:35.240 --> 00:07:37.740 he starts to poke at their own image and identity 00:07:37.740 --> 00:07:41.139 of themselves. And so that brings us to a central 00:07:41.139 --> 00:07:43.959 question that we're going to be faced with as 00:07:43.959 --> 00:07:47.240 we walk through this text this morning. And that 00:07:47.240 --> 00:07:51.319 question is, what happens to our faith when Jesus 00:07:51.319 --> 00:07:54.839 confronts the story that we tell about ourselves? 00:07:56.540 --> 00:07:58.560 So that question is, what happens to our faith 00:07:58.560 --> 00:08:01.300 when Jesus confronts the story we tell about 00:08:01.300 --> 00:08:05.899 ourselves? See, Jesus is about to offer freedom, 00:08:06.000 --> 00:08:09.899 and then they just start denying that they're 00:08:09.899 --> 00:08:14.500 in slavery. So Jesus begins by describing genuine 00:08:14.500 --> 00:08:21.439 discipleship, where he says in verse 31, if you 00:08:21.439 --> 00:08:24.819 continue in my word, you really are my disciples. 00:08:25.899 --> 00:08:29.160 You will know the truth, and the truth will set 00:08:29.160 --> 00:08:32.649 you free. That one that the truth will set you 00:08:32.649 --> 00:08:34.889 free. You will know the truth and the truth will 00:08:34.889 --> 00:08:38.509 set you free. It's quoted all the time in our 00:08:38.509 --> 00:08:40.509 culture. You might see it on the side of like 00:08:40.509 --> 00:08:42.649 the hippie vans. You might hear people that are 00:08:42.649 --> 00:08:45.649 saying this. And it's used to celebrate education 00:08:45.649 --> 00:08:49.309 and self -discovery. Speaking your truth because 00:08:49.309 --> 00:08:54.429 that's going to set you free. But our culture 00:08:54.429 --> 00:08:59.620 wants the promise of verse 32. without the command 00:08:59.620 --> 00:09:04.399 of verse 31. If you continue in my word, you 00:09:04.399 --> 00:09:07.080 really are my disciples. You will know the truth, 00:09:07.139 --> 00:09:10.500 and the truth will set you free. And they want 00:09:10.500 --> 00:09:15.179 this promise without facing the slavery that 00:09:15.179 --> 00:09:17.600 we're going to see in verse 34, or the Savior 00:09:17.600 --> 00:09:21.639 that we're going to see in verse 36. See, Jesus 00:09:21.639 --> 00:09:25.419 doesn't say, discover your truth, and the truth 00:09:25.419 --> 00:09:32.029 will set you free. He says, continue in my word. 00:09:34.470 --> 00:09:39.509 To continue means to remain or abide. I mentioned 00:09:39.509 --> 00:09:42.830 ESV says abide. When we were working through 00:09:42.830 --> 00:09:46.129 1 John, we talked about that a lot. But if you 00:09:46.129 --> 00:09:49.750 weren't here, it means resting in and making 00:09:49.750 --> 00:09:54.389 our soul focus on. See, a disciple makes his 00:09:54.389 --> 00:09:58.250 home in Jesus' word even when it confronts him, 00:09:58.309 --> 00:10:02.649 even when it starts to rip away the facade that 00:10:02.649 --> 00:10:07.090 we choose to build for ourselves. See, guys, 00:10:07.129 --> 00:10:12.110 truth is not something we create. Truth is found 00:10:12.110 --> 00:10:17.509 in Jesus. It is not subjective. It is objective. 00:10:18.350 --> 00:10:24.110 Truth is found in Jesus. Jumping ahead into the 00:10:24.110 --> 00:10:26.350 book of John, we're going to get there soon. 00:10:26.490 --> 00:10:34.730 But John 14 and verse 6, Jesus says this. John 00:10:34.730 --> 00:10:53.389 14, 6. See? Truth does have a face and a name, 00:10:53.450 --> 00:10:58.909 and that's Jesus Christ. And we know him by continuing 00:10:58.909 --> 00:11:02.129 in his word. That's why verse 32 says the truth 00:11:02.129 --> 00:11:06.509 sets us free, because Jesus is the truth. And 00:11:06.509 --> 00:11:09.970 then verse 36 is going to say the Son sets us 00:11:09.970 --> 00:11:13.450 free. See, the truth sets us free because Jesus 00:11:13.450 --> 00:11:19.830 is truth. So Jesus sets us free. But instead 00:11:19.830 --> 00:11:22.269 of asking Jesus to explain this freedom that 00:11:22.269 --> 00:11:25.429 he offers, the people who believed here all of 00:11:25.429 --> 00:11:27.870 a sudden switched to start defending themselves. 00:11:28.850 --> 00:11:34.690 So verse 33 of chapter 8 says, We are descendants 00:11:34.690 --> 00:11:36.929 of Abraham, they answered him. We have never 00:11:36.929 --> 00:11:40.690 been enslaved to anyone. How can you say you 00:11:40.690 --> 00:11:45.110 will become free? Jesus says, I can set you free. 00:11:45.169 --> 00:11:48.100 They respond, who says we're slaves? What are 00:11:48.100 --> 00:11:50.919 you talking about? Jesus offers them freedom 00:11:50.919 --> 00:11:53.620 and they take offense at the suggestion that 00:11:53.620 --> 00:11:56.899 they need it. Their statement is kind of historically 00:11:56.899 --> 00:12:01.559 astounding, right? Because they're saying, we're 00:12:01.559 --> 00:12:05.659 not slaves. We've never been slaves. Okay. We 00:12:05.659 --> 00:12:08.539 remember some of our Bible history. They were 00:12:08.539 --> 00:12:12.440 slaves in Egypt. They get out of Egypt. They 00:12:12.440 --> 00:12:14.919 go and finally... in the time of the judges, 00:12:14.980 --> 00:12:16.240 they get into the land of the promised land. 00:12:16.340 --> 00:12:18.559 They were under the control of the Philistines, 00:12:18.639 --> 00:12:21.700 the Moabites, and more. And then later, okay, 00:12:21.879 --> 00:12:23.980 yeah, now we're not slaves. We have our own kingdom. 00:12:24.100 --> 00:12:28.399 All of a sudden, in comes Assyria, Babylon. They're 00:12:28.399 --> 00:12:31.659 under the rule of then the Syrian Seleucids. 00:12:32.139 --> 00:12:34.679 Now, when they're writing this, they're under 00:12:34.679 --> 00:12:40.500 occupation from Rome. And they say, ah, who says 00:12:40.500 --> 00:12:47.139 we're slaves? We're not. We're descendants of 00:12:47.139 --> 00:12:49.399 Abraham. We have never been enslaved to anyone. 00:12:51.179 --> 00:12:56.980 See, as they speak these words to Jesus, Israel's 00:12:56.980 --> 00:13:00.679 history is filled with foreign masters. So whether 00:13:00.679 --> 00:13:03.419 they're trying to do some revisionist history, 00:13:03.620 --> 00:13:06.360 which I don't think is exactly what they're doing, 00:13:06.440 --> 00:13:08.879 or they're making a claim about their covenant 00:13:08.879 --> 00:13:11.899 standing in the covenant that God made with Abraham, 00:13:12.720 --> 00:13:16.759 where he said, you and your descendants and offspring 00:13:16.759 --> 00:13:19.019 will belong to God as his people and receive 00:13:19.019 --> 00:13:21.480 blessing. Their point is clear. They're saying, 00:13:21.539 --> 00:13:23.740 we're Abraham's descendants. We're already God's 00:13:23.740 --> 00:13:26.179 people. We're not the ones that need to be rescued. 00:13:27.139 --> 00:13:31.259 I like the way that Joby Martin paraphrases the 00:13:31.259 --> 00:13:35.340 mentality that these people have. They say, by 00:13:35.340 --> 00:13:41.649 birth and behavior, God owes us salvation. We 00:13:41.649 --> 00:13:46.049 are heirs of the promise given to Abraham. See, 00:13:46.190 --> 00:13:48.490 their birth places them in Abraham's family. 00:13:48.690 --> 00:13:51.669 Their religious behavior distinguishes them from 00:13:51.669 --> 00:13:56.649 obvious sinners. The promise they believe then, 00:13:56.809 --> 00:14:00.289 they're saying, obligates God to receive them. 00:14:00.830 --> 00:14:03.750 No, we're descendants of Abraham. We're not enslaved. 00:14:04.110 --> 00:14:07.690 God needs to do his part because we're his chosen 00:14:07.690 --> 00:14:09.730 people here. That's what they're saying back 00:14:09.730 --> 00:14:12.289 to Jesus. They don't see themselves as slaves 00:14:12.289 --> 00:14:16.129 in need of rescue. They see themselves as heirs 00:14:16.129 --> 00:14:21.610 who deserve the kingdom. They want a savior without 00:14:21.610 --> 00:14:24.509 admitting that they need saving. They want liberation 00:14:24.509 --> 00:14:27.429 without confession. They want freedom without 00:14:27.429 --> 00:14:30.730 admitting bondage. So Jesus then responds in 00:14:30.730 --> 00:14:33.970 verse 34 by naming the real master. Jesus responded, 00:14:38.730 --> 00:14:42.470 is a slave of sin, right? So they think there's 00:14:42.470 --> 00:14:45.549 no slavery to address. Jesus says, no, actually, 00:14:45.669 --> 00:14:49.809 the problem is sin. And despite being descendants 00:14:49.809 --> 00:14:55.389 of Abraham, you are slaves to sin. See, sin's 00:14:55.389 --> 00:14:58.950 not something we occasionally do. It's not something 00:14:58.950 --> 00:15:01.710 that every once in a while... we're a part of. 00:15:01.750 --> 00:15:04.970 Guys, apart from Jesus Christ, sin is the master 00:15:04.970 --> 00:15:07.669 that we obey. So we like to imagine ourselves 00:15:07.669 --> 00:15:11.730 as independent. We tell ourselves, I can stop 00:15:11.730 --> 00:15:14.250 whenever I want. So it's easy for us to sit and 00:15:14.250 --> 00:15:16.330 look here and say, oh yeah, these people like 00:15:16.330 --> 00:15:21.009 saying they're not slaves. How could they do? 00:15:21.149 --> 00:15:24.230 Obviously, right? And then we sit here and we 00:15:24.230 --> 00:15:26.649 say, well, you know, actually I'm not really 00:15:26.649 --> 00:15:31.100 in like, it's a minor sin. It's something I struggle 00:15:31.100 --> 00:15:33.600 with occasionally, but by the grace of God, it's 00:15:33.600 --> 00:15:37.080 cool. Guys, apart from Jesus, when we continue 00:15:37.080 --> 00:15:40.179 in sin, it becomes a master. We like to imagine 00:15:40.179 --> 00:15:43.220 ourselves as independent. Then we do it again. 00:15:44.179 --> 00:15:46.399 And sometimes that means we return to the same 00:15:46.399 --> 00:15:50.179 bitterness. We go for the next juicy piece of 00:15:50.179 --> 00:15:54.620 gossip. We lust after what is not ours. We consume 00:15:54.620 --> 00:15:58.200 pornography. We dress or conduct ourselves in 00:15:58.200 --> 00:16:01.419 a way that draws the eyes of others towards ourself 00:16:01.419 --> 00:16:04.000 for our own pleasure and our own gratification. 00:16:04.299 --> 00:16:07.860 We fall into the same pride, the approval seeking, 00:16:08.080 --> 00:16:10.820 the need for control. We fall into the habitual 00:16:10.820 --> 00:16:15.679 patterns of hiding and blaming and shame. See 00:16:15.679 --> 00:16:18.340 guys, our culture defines freedom as autonomy. 00:16:19.100 --> 00:16:22.500 No one tells me what to do. I define truth for 00:16:22.500 --> 00:16:25.929 myself. I follow my own desires. This is even 00:16:25.929 --> 00:16:29.870 more so in Alaska. We really like to be free. 00:16:29.990 --> 00:16:32.870 We like to be independent. But when our focus 00:16:32.870 --> 00:16:38.230 is on autonomy, when our focus in this freedom 00:16:38.230 --> 00:16:44.330 is on our own selves and our own desires, that's 00:16:44.330 --> 00:16:48.190 not what freedom is. See, Jesus doesn't offer 00:16:48.190 --> 00:16:52.970 us autonomy. If our desires are ruled by sin, 00:16:53.110 --> 00:16:56.289 doing whatever we want, having autonomy is actually 00:16:56.289 --> 00:16:59.309 still slavery because we're slaves to sin. But 00:16:59.309 --> 00:17:04.829 Jesus offers liberation, which is freedom from 00:17:04.829 --> 00:17:08.549 sin's rule and freedom to live under the gracious 00:17:08.549 --> 00:17:15.250 rule of the Son. And Jesus continues into verse 00:17:15.250 --> 00:17:17.390 35, a slave does not remain in the household 00:17:17.390 --> 00:17:21.690 forever, but a son... does remain forever. See, 00:17:21.769 --> 00:17:24.269 a slave has no permanent standing in the house. 00:17:25.130 --> 00:17:29.230 He has no authority to establish his place there. 00:17:29.349 --> 00:17:33.589 But the son of the father belongs in the house 00:17:33.589 --> 00:17:37.309 forever. The son possesses the standing and the 00:17:37.309 --> 00:17:43.289 authority to act. And then in verse 36, Jesus 00:17:43.289 --> 00:17:47.069 says, so if the son sets you free, you really 00:17:47.069 --> 00:17:52.500 will be free. See, a slave isn't the one that 00:17:52.500 --> 00:17:55.460 can promote himself into sonship. A prisoner 00:17:55.460 --> 00:17:58.839 cannot pardon himself. A sinner cannot break 00:17:58.839 --> 00:18:03.299 the mastery of sin through greater effort. Only 00:18:03.299 --> 00:18:07.440 the son can set the slaves free and say, hey, 00:18:07.480 --> 00:18:11.539 you get to come to the Father, and now you get 00:18:11.539 --> 00:18:15.299 to be a part of this family. So, you cannot be 00:18:15.299 --> 00:18:19.000 then set free from a slavery you refuse to admit. 00:18:20.700 --> 00:18:22.880 These people were saying, no, no, no, we're descendants 00:18:22.880 --> 00:18:25.640 of Abraham, we're good. We've never been slaves 00:18:25.640 --> 00:18:28.779 to anyone. And we often respond to Jesus exactly 00:18:28.779 --> 00:18:32.539 like these people did. Some of us respond more 00:18:32.539 --> 00:18:35.599 from the self -righteous religious crowd. No, 00:18:35.700 --> 00:18:38.619 no, I'm good. I grew up in church. I was baptized. 00:18:39.059 --> 00:18:41.359 My family's always believed. I know the Bible. 00:18:41.460 --> 00:18:44.519 I serve. I'm not as bad as other people. Like, 00:18:44.539 --> 00:18:48.259 I know I need God's grace, but there's some pieces 00:18:48.259 --> 00:18:52.220 I can bring to this and do well, and God will 00:18:52.220 --> 00:18:55.059 accept me. Others respond like those who already 00:18:55.059 --> 00:18:57.240 know we're broken and far from God, and we say, 00:18:57.299 --> 00:19:01.619 God, no. Pastor, I've made a mess of my life. 00:19:01.680 --> 00:19:04.299 I know I've sinned too much. I don't belong in 00:19:04.299 --> 00:19:08.079 church. God probably wouldn't want me. See, Jesus 00:19:08.079 --> 00:19:12.440 isn't asking for our religious resume. He's not. 00:19:12.859 --> 00:19:16.059 intimidated by your moral failures. He's asking 00:19:16.059 --> 00:19:23.920 whether his word has authority over you and if 00:19:23.920 --> 00:19:27.140 you have freedom in him. So what part of your 00:19:27.140 --> 00:19:31.740 life, what part of your identity are you protecting 00:19:31.740 --> 00:19:35.299 from him? See, for the Christians struggling 00:19:35.299 --> 00:19:38.279 against sin, continuing in Jesus's word doesn't 00:19:38.279 --> 00:19:41.920 mean sinless perfection. It means that when we 00:19:41.920 --> 00:19:46.329 sin, We do not abandon Jesus or redefine what 00:19:46.329 --> 00:19:50.190 he said or what he actually meant. We confess, 00:19:50.470 --> 00:19:54.670 we repent, we trust, and we return because our 00:19:54.670 --> 00:19:57.869 former master no longer owns us. Sin may still 00:19:57.869 --> 00:19:59.829 speak, but it no longer has the final claim over 00:19:59.829 --> 00:20:03.349 those whom the son has set free. So the people 00:20:03.349 --> 00:20:06.230 deny their slavery by pointing to Abraham. Jesus 00:20:06.230 --> 00:20:10.029 responds then by examining whether they actually 00:20:10.029 --> 00:20:15.059 resemble the father. that they're claiming. So 00:20:15.059 --> 00:20:19.460 Jesus tells them the truth, and they start defending 00:20:19.460 --> 00:20:24.339 their identity. My dad died in a car accident 00:20:24.339 --> 00:20:27.359 when I was nine months old, and so I never really 00:20:27.359 --> 00:20:31.559 got to know him growing up, but I look exactly 00:20:31.559 --> 00:20:34.900 like him. I've seen pictures, and family has 00:20:34.900 --> 00:20:38.980 said, like, you act just like him too. And I 00:20:38.980 --> 00:20:42.509 was at a store, When I still lived back in Pennsylvania 00:20:42.509 --> 00:20:45.849 in the area that I grew up. And I was walking 00:20:45.849 --> 00:20:50.630 down an aisle. My dad's name was Jerry. And I 00:20:50.630 --> 00:20:55.450 turned the aisle and somebody goes, Jerry? And 00:20:55.450 --> 00:20:58.809 I looked and I was like, no, Jared. But this 00:20:58.809 --> 00:21:05.250 person saw me and thought I was my dad. And they 00:21:05.250 --> 00:21:10.400 looked and they saw who I resembled. And they 00:21:10.400 --> 00:21:15.059 thought that I was Jerry. My mom remarried when 00:21:15.059 --> 00:21:20.059 I was two and a half. And I get to love having 00:21:20.059 --> 00:21:23.180 my dad. He loves Jesus. And he's not stepdad, 00:21:23.180 --> 00:21:26.640 he's dad. And growing up then, I got to have 00:21:26.640 --> 00:21:30.619 a little brother. And it was crazy, right? Because 00:21:30.619 --> 00:21:33.240 I looked exactly like my dad. My little brother, 00:21:33.380 --> 00:21:36.539 he'd hate that I'd say this, but just like dad. 00:21:37.319 --> 00:21:39.500 It was so funny. They were little one time and 00:21:39.500 --> 00:21:41.500 they're both walking down the street and they're 00:21:41.500 --> 00:21:45.740 walking exactly the same way. It was like mini 00:21:45.740 --> 00:21:49.440 me. It was hilarious. See, sometimes you can 00:21:49.440 --> 00:21:51.740 look at a parent and a child, a father and a 00:21:51.740 --> 00:21:54.500 son. You can think, there's no question whose 00:21:54.500 --> 00:21:58.059 kid that is. See, children bear the resemblance 00:21:58.059 --> 00:22:03.380 of their father. So Jesus is saying, okay, you 00:22:03.380 --> 00:22:07.890 have Abraham as a father. Do you resemble him? 00:22:08.869 --> 00:22:13.670 Verse 37, Jesus says, I know you are descendants 00:22:13.670 --> 00:22:16.730 of Abraham, but you're trying to kill me because 00:22:16.730 --> 00:22:21.529 my word has no place among you. Notice the contrast. 00:22:21.710 --> 00:22:24.230 See, Jesus is speaking the truth and they're 00:22:24.230 --> 00:22:27.369 trying to kill the one speaking it. The problem 00:22:27.369 --> 00:22:29.589 is not that they've never heard his word. They're 00:22:29.589 --> 00:22:33.170 standing in front of the word made flesh. The 00:22:33.170 --> 00:22:35.150 problem was that his word had no place among 00:22:35.150 --> 00:22:37.900 them. There's no room for it because they're 00:22:37.900 --> 00:22:40.099 too busy protecting the story they already believed 00:22:40.099 --> 00:22:42.059 about themselves. They're too busy saying, no, 00:22:42.079 --> 00:22:43.900 no, no, we're descendants of Abraham. We're good. 00:22:44.240 --> 00:22:48.119 We got this. So verse 38, Jesus continues. He 00:22:48.119 --> 00:22:50.180 says, I speak what I have seen in the presence 00:22:50.180 --> 00:22:54.220 of the Father. So then you do what you have heard 00:22:54.220 --> 00:23:01.819 from your Father. And then in verse 39, they 00:23:01.819 --> 00:23:06.210 answer back, our Father is Abraham. They replied, 00:23:06.509 --> 00:23:10.349 if you were Abraham's children, Jesus told them, 00:23:10.369 --> 00:23:14.089 you would do what Abraham does. They keep going 00:23:14.089 --> 00:23:20.309 back to Abraham. Then in verse 39 and 40, when 00:23:20.309 --> 00:23:22.930 they say, our father is Abraham, they replied, 00:23:23.069 --> 00:23:25.009 and if you were Abraham's children, Jesus told 00:23:25.009 --> 00:23:26.730 them, you would do what Abraham did. But now 00:23:26.730 --> 00:23:29.430 you are trying to kill me, a man who has told 00:23:29.430 --> 00:23:32.309 you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham 00:23:32.309 --> 00:23:37.339 did not do this. Biologically, they came from 00:23:37.339 --> 00:23:41.480 Abraham. Spiritually, they looked nothing like 00:23:41.480 --> 00:23:47.799 him. Abraham received God's revelation by faith. 00:23:48.099 --> 00:23:52.339 They, the people here who had believed, are actually 00:23:52.339 --> 00:23:54.980 trying to kill the one who was sent from God. 00:23:55.119 --> 00:23:58.059 See, they have Abraham on their lips, but they 00:23:58.059 --> 00:24:01.619 have murder in their hearts. And Jesus knows 00:24:01.619 --> 00:24:05.130 this. And he's confronting this. See, a family 00:24:05.130 --> 00:24:07.930 tree, it can tell you where you came from, but 00:24:07.930 --> 00:24:12.990 it can't tell you who you belong to. So when 00:24:12.990 --> 00:24:18.690 their claim to Abraham fails, they raise another 00:24:18.690 --> 00:24:23.769 claim. Verse 41, Jesus finishes by saying, look, 00:24:23.890 --> 00:24:27.549 you're doing what your father does. The people's 00:24:27.549 --> 00:24:32.289 response? We weren't born of sexual immorality, 00:24:32.450 --> 00:24:39.410 they said. We have one father, God. So they might 00:24:39.410 --> 00:24:44.190 be directly insinuating about Jesus' own birth. 00:24:44.890 --> 00:24:47.150 There's some scholars that think this was basically 00:24:47.150 --> 00:24:50.789 like, well, you want to talk about fathers? Jesus, 00:24:50.950 --> 00:24:54.990 yo mama. And then they go into it, right? Some 00:24:54.990 --> 00:24:57.279 scholars believe it's that. At the very least, 00:24:57.279 --> 00:24:59.059 maybe it is, maybe it's not, but at the very 00:24:59.059 --> 00:25:02.519 least, they are insisting that they are not illegitimate 00:25:02.519 --> 00:25:06.759 children. They belong to God. God is their father. 00:25:08.160 --> 00:25:11.720 They move from Abraham as our father right to 00:25:11.720 --> 00:25:14.880 God as our father. Checkmate, Jesus. Try and 00:25:14.880 --> 00:25:18.380 refute the perfect Sunday school answer. Well, 00:25:18.480 --> 00:25:22.220 he does. They claim relationship with God while 00:25:22.220 --> 00:25:24.900 rejecting the one that God sent. And Jesus is 00:25:24.900 --> 00:25:27.880 not going to allow this contradiction. So verse 00:25:27.880 --> 00:25:31.180 42, Jesus said to them, if God were your father, 00:25:31.259 --> 00:25:33.880 you would love me because I came from God and 00:25:33.880 --> 00:25:37.579 I am here. For I didn't come on my own, but he 00:25:37.579 --> 00:25:41.799 sent me. They say, God is our father. Jesus says, 00:25:41.900 --> 00:25:47.279 then why don't you love his son? The question 00:25:47.279 --> 00:25:49.960 is not ultimately, what do you feel about God? 00:25:50.880 --> 00:25:56.160 The question is, What do you do with Jesus? You 00:25:56.160 --> 00:25:58.279 can feel reverent towards God. You can believe 00:25:58.279 --> 00:26:01.279 in a higher power. You can admire Christian values, 00:26:01.599 --> 00:26:05.779 speak religious language. But Jesus says our 00:26:05.779 --> 00:26:09.859 relationship with the Father is revealed by our 00:26:09.859 --> 00:26:14.519 response to the Son. You cannot love God while 00:26:14.519 --> 00:26:17.859 rejecting Jesus. You cannot honor the Father. 00:26:18.359 --> 00:26:21.299 while refusing the one that he sent. So Jesus 00:26:21.299 --> 00:26:24.460 then continues in verse 43. Why don't you understand 00:26:24.460 --> 00:26:27.960 what I say? Because you cannot listen to my word. 00:26:28.680 --> 00:26:31.579 Once again, everything comes back to their response 00:26:31.579 --> 00:26:34.799 to Jesus's word. He offers freedom, they argue. 00:26:34.960 --> 00:26:37.799 He tells them truth, they refuse to listen. He 00:26:37.799 --> 00:26:39.759 tells them where they came from, they reject 00:26:39.759 --> 00:26:42.779 him. The problem's not merely a lack of information. 00:26:43.200 --> 00:26:46.759 This resistance is spiritual. And then Jesus 00:26:46.759 --> 00:26:50.140 speaks some of the strongest words in the Gospel 00:26:50.140 --> 00:26:55.779 of John in verse 44. You are of your father, 00:26:55.900 --> 00:26:59.920 the devil, and you want to carry out your father's 00:26:59.920 --> 00:27:02.960 desires. He was a murderer from the beginning 00:27:02.960 --> 00:27:05.759 and does not stand in the truth because there 00:27:05.759 --> 00:27:10.380 is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he speaks 00:27:10.380 --> 00:27:13.160 from his own nature because he is a liar and 00:27:13.160 --> 00:27:18.009 the father of lies. You are of your father, the 00:27:18.009 --> 00:27:23.009 devil. See, Jesus is not making an ethnic condemnation. 00:27:23.029 --> 00:27:25.769 Jesus is Jewish. His disciples are Jewish. But 00:27:25.769 --> 00:27:29.910 Jesus is saying, yeah, I recognize that you are 00:27:29.910 --> 00:27:32.490 descendants of Abraham, but I'm going to expose 00:27:32.490 --> 00:27:37.069 who you really look to as your father. I'm going 00:27:37.069 --> 00:27:42.309 to expose your spiritual allegiance. The devil 00:27:42.309 --> 00:27:44.910 is a murderer and a liar. They are rejecting 00:27:44.910 --> 00:27:47.289 the truth and want to murder the one speaking 00:27:47.289 --> 00:27:50.170 it. And Jesus says, guys, the family resemblance, 00:27:50.309 --> 00:27:55.450 it's unmistakable. They say God's our father, 00:27:55.529 --> 00:27:57.930 but they reject God's son. They say Abraham is 00:27:57.930 --> 00:27:59.869 their father, but they do the opposite of Abraham. 00:28:00.150 --> 00:28:04.190 Their spiritual father is revealed by the desires 00:28:04.190 --> 00:28:07.170 that they follow and the truth that they refuse. 00:28:07.509 --> 00:28:11.589 And then in verse 45. Yet because I tell the 00:28:11.589 --> 00:28:14.990 truth, you do not believe me. Guys, that's a 00:28:14.990 --> 00:28:18.670 staggering statement. Jesus does not say, even 00:28:18.670 --> 00:28:20.509 though I tell you the truth, you do not believe 00:28:20.509 --> 00:28:24.750 me. He says, because I tell the truth, you do 00:28:24.750 --> 00:28:27.730 not believe me. See, the truth is actually the 00:28:27.730 --> 00:28:31.589 reason they reject him. His words are exposing 00:28:31.589 --> 00:28:34.609 something that they are determined to defend. 00:28:34.890 --> 00:28:39.220 And then Jesus asks this. In verse 46 and 47. 00:28:39.579 --> 00:28:42.420 Who among you can convict me of sin? If I am 00:28:42.420 --> 00:28:44.200 telling the truth, why don't you believe me? 00:28:44.759 --> 00:28:47.500 The one who is from God listens to God's words. 00:28:48.039 --> 00:28:52.160 This is why you don't listen. Because you are 00:28:52.160 --> 00:28:57.359 not from God. Jesus speaks the truth. Their refusal 00:28:57.359 --> 00:29:01.420 to hear reveals who they belong to. See, guys, 00:29:01.460 --> 00:29:04.619 it's possible to know God's vocabulary while 00:29:04.619 --> 00:29:09.210 resisting God's Son. The clearest evidence of 00:29:09.210 --> 00:29:12.650 a spiritual life is not merely that we've heard 00:29:12.650 --> 00:29:15.130 Jesus' word. It's what happens when his word 00:29:15.130 --> 00:29:18.049 confronts us. When Jesus disagrees with you, 00:29:18.190 --> 00:29:24.650 what happens next? Do I submit or do I immediately 00:29:24.650 --> 00:29:26.690 begin looking for a way around what he said? 00:29:26.789 --> 00:29:31.150 That tends to be like, yeah, for me. Okay, Jesus, 00:29:31.289 --> 00:29:34.650 but like, you know, how do I, that makes me uncomfortable. 00:29:34.769 --> 00:29:37.869 How do I navigate around this? Do you receive 00:29:37.869 --> 00:29:40.269 his word or do you edit Jesus until he agrees 00:29:40.269 --> 00:29:43.829 with the life that you already wanted? See, saving 00:29:43.829 --> 00:29:47.029 faith doesn't ever mean that we don't struggle 00:29:47.029 --> 00:29:50.890 with Jesus' words. It means his word has a home 00:29:50.890 --> 00:29:55.250 in us and we listen, we wrestle, we repent, and 00:29:55.250 --> 00:29:59.210 we return to him. See, this passage confronts 00:29:59.210 --> 00:30:03.630 this false idea of borrowed faith. You cannot 00:30:03.630 --> 00:30:08.150 inherit salvation from faithful parents. You 00:30:08.150 --> 00:30:11.769 cannot borrow it from a faithful spouse. You 00:30:11.769 --> 00:30:14.150 cannot live on your church's confession of faith. 00:30:14.269 --> 00:30:17.670 The people said, look, we're Abraham's descendants. 00:30:18.869 --> 00:30:22.329 Jesus says, guys, God does not have grandchildren. 00:30:23.890 --> 00:30:27.589 He has sons and daughters. The question is not 00:30:27.589 --> 00:30:30.509 merely whether your family belongs to Jesus. 00:30:30.589 --> 00:30:35.549 The question is whether you belong to Jesus. 00:30:36.150 --> 00:30:39.289 God has sons and daughters, not grandkids, that 00:30:39.289 --> 00:30:42.509 are born into salvation. See, they can't answer 00:30:42.509 --> 00:30:44.950 the truth Jesus is speaking, so now they're going 00:30:44.950 --> 00:30:46.890 to change their tactics up a little bit, and 00:30:46.890 --> 00:30:48.210 they're going to attack the person speaking. 00:30:48.430 --> 00:30:50.190 But in their anger, they're actually going to 00:30:50.190 --> 00:30:53.349 ask one of the most important questions in the 00:30:53.349 --> 00:31:01.130 passage. Verse 48 of John chapter 8. The Jews 00:31:01.130 --> 00:31:03.630 responded to him, aren't we right in saying that 00:31:03.630 --> 00:31:07.230 you're a Samaritan and have a demon? Jesus has 00:31:07.230 --> 00:31:11.549 just exposed their spiritual condition. They 00:31:11.549 --> 00:31:14.150 kind of have to confront and recognize this. 00:31:14.390 --> 00:31:19.150 And their response, it's not repentance. Their 00:31:19.150 --> 00:31:21.450 response is insult. When they can't refute what 00:31:21.450 --> 00:31:23.589 Jesus says, they now attack the person of Jesus. 00:31:25.069 --> 00:31:30.069 They say, well, you know, aren't we right in 00:31:30.069 --> 00:31:32.890 saying you're a Samaritan? You are less than 00:31:32.890 --> 00:31:35.390 a person. You are less than a real Jew. We don't 00:31:35.390 --> 00:31:38.250 want anything to, and you have a demon. These 00:31:38.250 --> 00:31:42.269 words you're saying, these are ridiculous. Jesus 00:31:42.269 --> 00:31:48.170 responds, verse 49 and 50. I do not have a demon, 00:31:48.329 --> 00:31:52.619 Jesus answered. On the contrary, I honor my Father 00:31:52.619 --> 00:31:55.420 and you dishonor me. I do not seek my own glory. 00:31:55.599 --> 00:32:00.380 There is one who seeks it and judges. They dishonor 00:32:00.380 --> 00:32:03.119 Jesus. Jesus continues by honoring the Father. 00:32:03.400 --> 00:32:06.799 They attack his identity. Jesus entrusts his 00:32:06.799 --> 00:32:10.700 identity and his glory to the Father. Then even 00:32:10.700 --> 00:32:14.420 after they insult him, look at Jesus' response. 00:32:16.539 --> 00:32:23.960 Verse 51. Truly I tell you, if anyone keeps my 00:32:23.960 --> 00:32:28.039 word, he will never see death. Jesus says, keep 00:32:28.039 --> 00:32:31.720 my word and you will never see death. Even after 00:32:31.720 --> 00:32:35.599 insults, Jesus offers them life. Their response? 00:32:36.039 --> 00:32:40.160 Verse 52. Then the Jews said, now we know you 00:32:40.160 --> 00:32:43.299 have a demon. Abraham died and so did the prophets. 00:32:43.460 --> 00:32:45.900 You say, if anyone keeps my word, he will never 00:32:45.900 --> 00:32:49.759 taste death. Notice the slight difference here. 00:32:50.039 --> 00:32:52.380 right? Jesus says they will never see death, 00:32:52.579 --> 00:32:55.539 and when they're going back and repeating this, 00:32:55.660 --> 00:32:59.180 they say they will never taste death. We're not 00:32:59.180 --> 00:33:00.799 going to press too far into that difference, 00:33:00.960 --> 00:33:03.900 but the word that Jesus uses carries the idea 00:33:03.900 --> 00:33:07.740 of beholding something steadily and becoming 00:33:07.740 --> 00:33:12.279 acquainted with its reality. See, Jesus is not 00:33:12.279 --> 00:33:14.700 promising that believers will never physically 00:33:14.700 --> 00:33:17.940 die. Unless Christ returns first, the believer 00:33:17.940 --> 00:33:21.230 is going to taste death. But the believer will 00:33:21.230 --> 00:33:25.549 never stare death face to face as his final destiny 00:33:25.549 --> 00:33:29.369 or his victorious master. See, death remains 00:33:29.369 --> 00:33:32.650 an enemy, but because of Jesus, it's a defeated 00:33:32.650 --> 00:33:36.410 enemy. See, the Christian may taste death, but 00:33:36.410 --> 00:33:40.170 does not have to be terrorized by it. They hear 00:33:40.170 --> 00:33:42.109 Jesus' promise only in physical terms. They say, 00:33:42.150 --> 00:33:45.190 Abraham died. The prophets died. Everybody dies. 00:33:45.849 --> 00:33:48.170 They think physical death is going to disprove 00:33:48.170 --> 00:33:51.190 Jesus' promise. But Jesus is promising eternal 00:33:51.190 --> 00:33:55.869 life that physical death cannot destroy. So now, 00:33:55.950 --> 00:33:59.630 in verse 53, they say, Are you greater than our 00:33:59.630 --> 00:34:02.609 father Abraham who died and the prophets died? 00:34:03.170 --> 00:34:11.309 Who do you claim to be? They intend the question 00:34:11.309 --> 00:34:14.909 as an accusation. But their accusation places 00:34:14.909 --> 00:34:20.150 the central question in front of us. Who is Jesus? 00:34:20.989 --> 00:34:23.809 And they're meaning this like, Jesus, are you 00:34:23.809 --> 00:34:27.969 greater than Abraham? And Jesus responds in verse 00:34:27.969 --> 00:34:34.110 54. If I glorify myself, Jesus answered, my glory 00:34:34.110 --> 00:34:38.130 is nothing. My Father, about whom you say, he 00:34:38.130 --> 00:34:42.690 is our God, he is the one who glorifies me. You 00:34:42.690 --> 00:34:46.469 do not know him, but I know him. If I were to 00:34:46.469 --> 00:34:48.590 say I don't know him, I would be a liar like 00:34:48.590 --> 00:34:53.449 you, but I do know him and I keep his word. Again, 00:34:53.449 --> 00:34:58.690 notice this contrast. They claim he is our God. 00:34:58.869 --> 00:35:01.250 Jesus says, no, actually, you never knew him. 00:35:01.449 --> 00:35:04.190 Jesus knows the Father and keeps the Father's 00:35:04.190 --> 00:35:06.969 word, and they claim the Father while rejecting 00:35:06.969 --> 00:35:10.010 the Son standing in front of them. And then verse 00:35:10.010 --> 00:35:13.849 56, Jesus says this, Your father Abraham rejoiced 00:35:13.849 --> 00:35:18.210 to see my day. He saw it and was glad. They're 00:35:18.210 --> 00:35:20.869 hiding behind Abraham while rejecting the one 00:35:20.869 --> 00:35:26.969 that Abraham longed to see. Abraham's faith looked 00:35:26.969 --> 00:35:29.309 forward to the fulfillment of God's promise. 00:35:31.130 --> 00:35:33.429 Is that fulfillment? And so the people respond 00:35:33.429 --> 00:35:38.929 this way in verse 57. The Jews replied, you aren't 00:35:38.929 --> 00:35:43.449 50 years old yet and you've seen Abraham? See, 00:35:43.550 --> 00:35:46.670 they're still thinking only in these human categories. 00:35:46.849 --> 00:35:48.989 Maybe they just picked an arbitrary number or 00:35:48.989 --> 00:35:51.510 maybe they picked 50 because for those who were 00:35:51.510 --> 00:35:55.019 serving as Levites in... The ministry, once they 00:35:55.019 --> 00:35:56.940 hit the age of 50, they were supposed to retire. 00:35:57.199 --> 00:35:59.119 So maybe they're saying, Jesus, you're not even 00:35:59.119 --> 00:36:01.860 retirement age and you claim to have seen Abraham? 00:36:02.159 --> 00:36:06.340 Yeah, whatever. But then Jesus answers with the 00:36:06.340 --> 00:36:11.119 climax of this entire confrontation. In verse 00:36:11.119 --> 00:36:17.539 58, Jesus said to them, truly I tell you, before 00:36:17.539 --> 00:36:25.429 Abraham was, I am. Jesus doesn't say before Abraham 00:36:25.429 --> 00:36:30.289 was, I was. He says before Abraham came into 00:36:30.289 --> 00:36:36.429 existence, I am. Abraham had a beginning. Jesus 00:36:36.429 --> 00:36:40.809 simply is because he is God. To hear the full 00:36:40.809 --> 00:36:42.909 weight of that claim, we need to hear the Old 00:36:42.909 --> 00:36:45.670 Testament context behind this. Because Jesus 00:36:45.670 --> 00:36:50.730 is referencing something that these people would 00:36:50.730 --> 00:36:54.829 have known well. Jesus is actually saying, I 00:36:54.829 --> 00:37:04.010 am. He says, Yahweh, I am God. In Exodus chapter 00:37:04.010 --> 00:37:11.170 3 verse 14, back when God was getting ready to 00:37:11.170 --> 00:37:14.329 send Moses to go and to bring the people out 00:37:14.329 --> 00:37:16.269 of slavery, the slavery they conveniently forgot 00:37:16.269 --> 00:37:20.130 about earlier, God replies to Moses. And in verse 00:37:20.900 --> 00:37:23.340 Exodus chapter 3, verse 14. God replied to Moses, 00:37:23.480 --> 00:37:27.019 I am who I am. This is what you are to say to 00:37:27.019 --> 00:37:31.539 the Israelites. I am has sent you. See, at the 00:37:31.539 --> 00:37:34.079 burning bush, God revealed himself as the great 00:37:34.079 --> 00:37:38.260 I am. He is not created. He is not dependent 00:37:38.260 --> 00:37:41.559 on anything outside of himself. He simply and 00:37:41.559 --> 00:37:45.690 eternally is. And Jesus here then in saying, 00:37:45.869 --> 00:37:48.849 I am, is not merely claiming to have existed 00:37:48.849 --> 00:37:51.789 before Abraham. He's speaking the language of 00:37:51.789 --> 00:37:56.429 God's own identity, Yahweh. That language doesn't 00:37:56.429 --> 00:38:00.590 stop in Exodus. In Deuteronomy chapter 32 verse 00:38:00.590 --> 00:38:05.510 39, God's word says, see now that I alone am 00:38:05.510 --> 00:38:09.150 he. There is no God but me. I bring death and 00:38:09.150 --> 00:38:11.590 I give life. I wound and I heal. No one can rescue 00:38:11.590 --> 00:38:15.110 anyone from my power. In the Greek Old Testament, 00:38:15.170 --> 00:38:18.150 when it's translated, the I alone am he contains 00:38:18.150 --> 00:38:21.730 the exact same words that are used in John's 00:38:21.730 --> 00:38:28.409 gospel for I am. Ego imai. I am. When we look 00:38:28.409 --> 00:38:30.750 at the context there in Deuteronomy, the Lord 00:38:30.750 --> 00:38:33.570 says that he alone has authority over life and 00:38:33.570 --> 00:38:38.190 death. No one can rescue outside of his power. 00:38:38.710 --> 00:38:41.170 Jesus has claimed that he can set slaves free, 00:38:41.269 --> 00:38:43.889 that anyone who keeps his word will never see 00:38:43.889 --> 00:38:47.010 death. Jesus is claiming the authority that belongs 00:38:47.010 --> 00:38:51.889 to God alone because he is God alone. And then 00:38:51.889 --> 00:38:57.210 in Isaiah 43, verses 10 through 11, it says, 00:38:57.230 --> 00:39:00.849 you are my witnesses. This is the Lord's declaration. 00:39:01.769 --> 00:39:04.769 And my servant whom I have chosen so that you 00:39:04.769 --> 00:39:06.929 know and believe me and understand that I am 00:39:06.929 --> 00:39:09.650 he. No God was formed before me and there will 00:39:09.650 --> 00:39:14.610 be none after me. I, I am the Lord. Besides me, 00:39:14.630 --> 00:39:17.909 there is no savior. That language, it's already 00:39:17.909 --> 00:39:21.289 been running through John chapter 8. In verse 00:39:21.289 --> 00:39:24.989 8, 24, if you do not believe that I am he, you 00:39:24.989 --> 00:39:28.889 will die in your sins. John 8, verse 28, when 00:39:28.889 --> 00:39:30.690 you lift up the son of man, then you will know. 00:39:31.150 --> 00:39:34.769 that I am he. In John 8, 58 then, he says, before 00:39:34.769 --> 00:39:39.130 Abraham was, I am. In Isaiah, the Lord says, 00:39:39.250 --> 00:39:42.250 know and believe that I am. In John, Jesus says, 00:39:42.349 --> 00:39:44.730 you must believe that I am or you will die in 00:39:44.730 --> 00:39:47.929 your sins. You will be slave to your sins. Jesus 00:39:47.929 --> 00:39:50.230 isn't claiming to be older than Abraham. He's 00:39:50.230 --> 00:39:53.010 not claiming to be the father. He says, I am 00:39:53.010 --> 00:39:56.889 the eternal son who is placed in divine identity 00:39:56.889 --> 00:40:00.449 with Yahweh. The I am who spoke from the burning 00:40:00.449 --> 00:40:03.269 bush, the one who alone gives life and defeats 00:40:03.269 --> 00:40:05.530 death, the only savior whom people must know 00:40:05.530 --> 00:40:08.349 and believe is standing right in front of them. 00:40:08.929 --> 00:40:12.230 See, he's not just merely greater than Abraham. 00:40:12.489 --> 00:40:19.849 Jesus is the eternal son that God gave and the 00:40:19.849 --> 00:40:22.730 God that Abraham trusted. So Jesus reveals who 00:40:22.730 --> 00:40:25.849 he is. And now in verse 59, we see their response. 00:40:28.809 --> 00:40:32.050 So they picked up stones to throw at him, but 00:40:32.050 --> 00:40:34.010 Jesus was hidden and went out of the temple. 00:40:34.369 --> 00:40:36.869 It's their final response. Jesus offers freedom. 00:40:36.929 --> 00:40:39.289 They deny slavery. Jesus tells them truth. They 00:40:39.289 --> 00:40:42.250 refuse to listen. Jesus offers them life. They 00:40:42.250 --> 00:40:44.050 start calling them names and say, oh, you have 00:40:44.050 --> 00:40:46.690 a demon. Jesus reveals himself as the eternal 00:40:46.690 --> 00:40:49.670 I am, and they reach for stones to kill him because 00:40:49.670 --> 00:40:52.929 they think it's blasphemy. They're missing this 00:40:52.929 --> 00:40:54.530 guy they were starting to believe. They're missing 00:40:54.530 --> 00:40:58.199 the entire point of who he is. They claim to 00:40:58.199 --> 00:41:01.019 honor Abraham while attempting to stone the God 00:41:01.019 --> 00:41:05.000 of Abraham. See, Jesus won't allow us to call 00:41:05.000 --> 00:41:07.840 him helpful while refusing to call him Lord. 00:41:07.960 --> 00:41:09.960 They were believing what he was said, but many 00:41:09.960 --> 00:41:15.179 were not ready to call him Lord. See, we can't 00:41:15.179 --> 00:41:18.059 just reduce Jesus to a good moral teacher, a 00:41:18.059 --> 00:41:20.579 spiritual accessory, someone who helps you achieve 00:41:20.579 --> 00:41:24.570 the life that you've already planned. He is the 00:41:24.570 --> 00:41:26.949 eternal son. He doesn't simply offer advice. 00:41:27.170 --> 00:41:30.630 He claims authority over all things. He does 00:41:30.630 --> 00:41:33.309 not merely improve people. He raises the dead 00:41:33.309 --> 00:41:37.989 and frees slaves. His identity demands a response. 00:41:38.610 --> 00:41:42.190 So, realistically, most of us are never going 00:41:42.190 --> 00:41:46.150 to pick up literal stones. But we often try to 00:41:46.150 --> 00:41:50.210 silence Jesus in a more, you know, respectable 00:41:50.210 --> 00:41:54.329 ways. We ignore what he says. We explain away 00:41:54.329 --> 00:41:57.389 whatever he confronts us with. We obey only the 00:41:57.389 --> 00:42:00.469 parts that we agree with. We create a version 00:42:00.469 --> 00:42:02.949 of Jesus who will affirm us and leave us alone. 00:42:03.710 --> 00:42:06.949 But the Jesus who never contradicts you is actually 00:42:06.949 --> 00:42:11.309 just really a reflection of you. And trust me, 00:42:11.389 --> 00:42:16.949 you ain't Jesus, and I'm not either. The real 00:42:16.949 --> 00:42:20.110 Jesus is the eternal I am. He confronts us because 00:42:20.110 --> 00:42:24.050 he loves us. And he alone has the authority to 00:42:24.050 --> 00:42:30.929 free us. When I buried that Jeep in the sand, 00:42:31.090 --> 00:42:37.429 I couldn't get out. I just kept digging myself 00:42:37.429 --> 00:42:41.030 deeper. But admitting that I was stuck wasn't 00:42:41.030 --> 00:42:44.010 enough. Some of you are wondering, are we ever 00:42:44.010 --> 00:42:46.469 going to find out what happened to you? There 00:42:46.469 --> 00:42:48.449 was an older gentleman riding by, and he stopped 00:42:48.449 --> 00:42:52.750 his vehicle. And he said, son, you know you should 00:42:52.750 --> 00:42:55.469 just air down your tires. It'll make this a lot 00:42:55.469 --> 00:42:59.949 easier. But I had got myself stuck so deep that 00:42:59.949 --> 00:43:01.909 even airing down my tires couldn't get me out 00:43:01.909 --> 00:43:03.570 of the hole I was stuck in. I was high -centered. 00:43:03.949 --> 00:43:07.409 All my effort, I had sunk myself so deep into 00:43:07.409 --> 00:43:10.170 the sand that not even airing down the tires 00:43:10.170 --> 00:43:12.849 was going to work this time. So this guy tossed 00:43:12.849 --> 00:43:15.849 me to the end of a tow strap. And he pulled me 00:43:15.849 --> 00:43:18.429 out of the hole I was trapped in. I needed power 00:43:18.429 --> 00:43:25.150 outside of myself to be free. Jesus doesn't expose 00:43:25.150 --> 00:43:29.590 our slavery to simply humiliate us. He exposes 00:43:29.590 --> 00:43:32.489 it because he loves us enough to free us. And 00:43:32.489 --> 00:43:35.670 he is that one who says, reach for my hand. I 00:43:35.670 --> 00:43:39.530 am here to pull you out. Instead, the people 00:43:39.530 --> 00:43:42.599 in this passage, they reach for stones. But Jesus 00:43:42.599 --> 00:43:44.659 isn't going to die according to their timetable. 00:43:44.820 --> 00:43:48.119 It says Jesus hid himself and was hidden. There's 00:43:48.119 --> 00:43:49.900 a lot of different thought. Was it magical? Did 00:43:49.900 --> 00:43:52.639 he disappear? I don't know. I don't really think 00:43:52.639 --> 00:43:58.420 it matters. But it wasn't his time. See, the 00:43:58.420 --> 00:44:01.920 eternal son was going to come and lay down his 00:44:01.920 --> 00:44:06.380 life willingly. The one who had every right to 00:44:06.380 --> 00:44:08.460 condemn sinners will be condemned in the place 00:44:08.460 --> 00:44:13.590 of sinners. Jesus had already told them in verse 00:44:13.590 --> 00:44:16.510 28, when you lift up the son of man, then you 00:44:16.510 --> 00:44:19.250 will know that I alone am he. See, the great 00:44:19.250 --> 00:44:24.190 I am will be lifted up on a cross. The son who 00:44:24.190 --> 00:44:29.409 remains forever will enter death and taste death 00:44:29.409 --> 00:44:33.769 in our place so that we can become sons and daughters. 00:44:34.409 --> 00:44:37.250 The one who said the believer would never see 00:44:37.250 --> 00:44:40.150 death will taste it in our place. He will bear 00:44:40.150 --> 00:44:43.150 the penalty of our sin. He will break the power 00:44:43.150 --> 00:44:46.449 of sin, rise victorious over death. And that 00:44:46.449 --> 00:44:50.110 is how the Son sets sinners free. So the question 00:44:50.110 --> 00:44:52.829 isn't just, do you believe in Jesus? The people 00:44:52.829 --> 00:44:56.369 in this passage, they said they believed. The 00:44:56.369 --> 00:45:00.309 question is, what happens when Jesus' word, truth, 00:45:00.429 --> 00:45:06.349 confronts us? They reach for stones. We reach 00:45:06.349 --> 00:45:09.250 for other ways to defend ourselves. Some of us 00:45:09.250 --> 00:45:12.210 reach for religion, our family history, church 00:45:12.210 --> 00:45:15.449 attendance, good work, biblical knowledge. Others 00:45:15.449 --> 00:45:18.469 reach for autonomy. This is my life. I define 00:45:18.469 --> 00:45:21.570 myself. No one gets to tell me what to do. And 00:45:21.570 --> 00:45:23.730 even those who follow Jesus can reach back for 00:45:23.730 --> 00:45:26.829 autonomy when his word confronts something we 00:45:26.829 --> 00:45:31.050 don't want to surrender. Religion says, I don't 00:45:31.050 --> 00:45:34.820 need to be rescued because I'm good enough. Autonomy 00:45:34.820 --> 00:45:37.480 says, I don't need to be rescued because I've 00:45:37.480 --> 00:45:42.119 got this. Jesus says both leave us enslaved. 00:45:43.159 --> 00:45:47.739 But the Jesus who tells the truth about our slavery 00:45:47.739 --> 00:45:51.900 is the same Jesus who went to the cross to set 00:45:51.900 --> 00:45:56.599 us free from that as our master. So stop defending 00:45:56.599 --> 00:46:00.300 yourself. Admit that you can't free yourself. 00:46:00.840 --> 00:46:03.800 Receive his word, remain in his word, and trust 00:46:03.800 --> 00:46:08.500 the Son. See, the one you may want to silence 00:46:08.500 --> 00:46:15.679 is the only one that can save you. Only the eternal 00:46:15.679 --> 00:46:20.119 Son can set sinners free from sin and death. 00:46:20.440 --> 00:46:26.579 And hear his promise in verse 36. So if the Son 00:46:26.579 --> 00:46:32.619 sets you free, you really will be. free. God 00:46:32.619 --> 00:46:37.599 is good. Let's close in prayer. Heavenly Father, 00:46:37.780 --> 00:46:43.260 it is just amazing to know that you have given 00:46:43.260 --> 00:46:46.619 us the gift of your Son, Jesus Christ, who came, 00:46:46.739 --> 00:46:48.920 who died on the cross for our sins, who has set 00:46:48.920 --> 00:46:53.679 us free from sin and from death. And Lord, I 00:46:53.679 --> 00:46:57.110 just pray that you would draw us continually 00:46:57.110 --> 00:46:58.969 to right relationship with you, Lord. If there 00:46:58.969 --> 00:47:00.969 are any here this morning who don't know you 00:47:00.969 --> 00:47:04.230 as Lord and as Savior, who have not faced that 00:47:04.230 --> 00:47:07.230 truth and are still desiring their own truth, 00:47:07.289 --> 00:47:09.230 Lord, I just pray that you would be at work in 00:47:09.230 --> 00:47:11.469 their hearts, draw them to you. Lord, for those 00:47:11.469 --> 00:47:13.030 who are here this morning who are saying, no, 00:47:13.190 --> 00:47:15.730 there's this thing I just don't want to give 00:47:15.730 --> 00:47:17.909 up, this thing that I can't confront. Lord, I 00:47:17.909 --> 00:47:20.130 pray that you would convict through the power 00:47:20.130 --> 00:47:23.369 of the Holy Spirit. Draw us to yourself. Help 00:47:23.369 --> 00:47:26.380 us to know that. whom you have set free, will 00:47:26.380 --> 00:47:28.900 be free indeed. What a wonderful promise. What 00:47:28.900 --> 00:47:31.780 a wonderful free gift. It's not because of anything 00:47:31.780 --> 00:47:34.719 that we have done, but only because of who you 00:47:34.719 --> 00:47:37.719 are. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.