The tall, handsome, confident gentleman walked over to the girl and made a disparaging remark about the men who had been chatting her up. She laughed cheerfully, "When I don’t want a man’s attentions," she confided, "and he asks where I live, I just say, ’I’m visiting here’."
"Ha-ha," he laughed, relishing her humor. "Where do you really live?"
"I’m just visiting here."
No one enjoys rejection.
Yet, it is a fact of life.
At one time or another we all face it.
Today, though, our time is not to be spent considering the rejection we have felt.
Rather, our attention is on whom we might accept or reject.
Well today we are going to talk about a decision that people have to make.
Either to reject Christ or accept Christ.
Last week I told you that this is a decision that John is inviting his reader.
John wants you to decide if you believe who Jesus claims to be and if you do then things are going to radically different. You are going to be transformed and changed.
Jesus is such a pivotal person and we think of the great changes that He brought in human history:
Historian Philip Schaff described the overwhelming influence which Jesus had on subsequent history and culture of the world:
“This Jesus of Nazareth, without money and arms, conquered more millions than Alexander, Caesar, Mohammed, and Napoleon; without science…he shed more light on things human and divine than all philosophers and scholars combined; without the eloquence of schools, he spoke such words of life as were never spoken before or since, and produced effects which lie beyond the reach of orator or poet; without writing a single line, he set more pens in motion and furnished themes for more sermons, orations, discussions, learned volumes, works of art, and songs of praise than the whole army of great men of ancient and modern times.”
It is easy to see Jesus as victorious when we see Churches filled and great cathedrals built in His honor but in John chapter 8 Jesus is coming off of a series of events that have seen many people depart from Him because His teachings are too tough.
In John 6 he tells them that they have to eat his flesh and drink His blood and many depart from Him.
In chapter 7 and earlier in chapter 8 Jesus stands up at one of the greatest feast of the Jews and basically tells them that Zechariah 14 was being fulfilled in Him.
That passage looked forward to the day that Living water would flow from Jerusalem and light would shine even in the night time.
In other words- the Messiah the anointed one of God would bring a time of water and light.
Jesus stands up at this feast and proclaims that living water will flow from the believer because of the work of the Holy Spirit and He would be the light for our path.
Renewal by the Holy Spirit and the word of Jesus would guide our path.
Then throughout John 8 we see Jesus explain to the Jewish leaders that they were living in a lie, they were living in denial.
Jesus came to speak the truth and speak the truth so hard that it might hurt.
Adrian Rodgers once said, It is better to tell the truth that heals instead of lie that kills.
Many people walk around in denial that sin is real, that Satan is real, and that time is running short.
There are two groups of people in this world – those in the Kingdom of God and those in the Kingdom of Darkness and many people are in denial and don’t even know that they are lost in their sins.
Jesus came to reveal the Truth in stark contrast to these lies of the Devil- that we need salvation and without that we have no hope.
Jesus came to reveal that we are sinners and without his blood, without his grace we have no hope. There are two types of people that have sinned and fallen short of God’s Glory- there are people that have been forgiven and saved and those that are still in their sins.
That takes us to the end of John chapter 8 – last week we say Jesus proclaim to be the light of the world.
Today Jesus will make another profound I am statement but it will be subtle and you may miss it today if you don’t pay close attention to it.
EXALTATION
John 8: 39-50
39 They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father." Jesus said to them, "If you are Abraham's children, do the deeds of Abraham. 40 "But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God ; this Abraham did not do. 41 "You are doing the deeds of your father." They said to Him, "We were not born of fornication ; we have one Father : God." 42 Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me. 43 "Why do you not understand what I am saying ? It is because you cannot hear My word. 44 "You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 "But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me. 46 "Which one of you convicts Me of sin ? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? 47 "He who is of God hears the words of God ; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God." 48 The Jews answered and said to Him, "Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon ?" 49 Jesus answered, "I do not have a demon ; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. 50 "But I do not seek My glory ; there is One who seeks and judges.
We see this theme of truth versus lies – Jesus calls them out because they have rejected the very Messiah that the prophets in the OT had foretold of coming. They had missed the boat and were dead in their sins.
They make the common accusation against Jesus that He was illegitimate in his birth. This would come up later in the Rabbinic material against Christianity. But we as readers of John’s Gospel really know who Jesus’ Father really is.
We have learned all along that God loved the world that He sent His Son.
Jesus is the Son of God – here are these experts in the OT Law and they are the ones that are illegitimate. They are supposed to be children of Abraham but now they have become children of the Devil because they believe the lies of the Devil.
The Devil has entrapped them.
But look at Jesus and what He is about in this passage.
- They accuse Jesus of the ultimate, they call Him a Samaritan – the most unclean of all – and then the most unclean of all of a demon – This is an ultimate cutdown for a Jew
But how does Jesus respond?
What does he do-
This is one of the Key points that I want you to take from this passage-
Jesus EXALTS the FATHER - Jesus does not seek His own glory he seeks the glory of the Father.
Isnt this totally opposite of how people are today?
Think of today’s sports stars – how the celebrate and act a fool when they do something good.
You have a wide receiver from Cincinnati that changed his name to Ocho Cincho just to get attention.
One of my favorite football players in Alabama football history is Jay Barker – he was a QB with average talent but he played so hard and QBed Alabama to a national championship in 1992
His verse that he lived by was
Humble yourself before the mighty hand of God and he will exalt you in due time.
He was about doing God’s will first, giving Him all the glory, and then God would use you how He wanted to.
Exalting God and not ourselves is what Jesus was about.
There is an old Jewish tale that has been told before. It is the tale of a Jewish father.
A Jewish father was concerned about his son. He had not truly raised him to be grounded in the faith of Judaism. So, hoping to remedy this he sent his son to Israel so the boy could experience his heritage. A year later the young man returned home.
He said, "Father, thank you for sending me to the land of our Fathers. It was wonderful and enlightening. However, I must confess that while in Israel I converted to Christianity."
"Oh (groan) what have I done?" the father thought. So in the tradition of the patriarchs he went to his best friend and sought his advice and solace.
"It is amazing that you should come to me," stated his friend, "I too sent my son to Israel and he returned a Christian."
So in the traditions of the Patriarchs they went to the Rabbi. "It is amazing that you should come to me," stated the Rabbi, "I too sent my son to Israel and he returned a Christian. What is happening to our sons?
“Brothers, we must take this to the Lord," said the Rabbi. They fell to their knees and began to wail and pour out their hearts to the Almighty.
As they prayed, the clouds above opened and a mighty voice stated, "Amazing that you should come to Me. I, too, sent My Son to Israel..."
Jesus knew that He was sent – He was sent for a purpose -
We will see later in John’s Gospel that Jesus came to reveal truth.
Jesus came to EXALT TRUTH – Jesus came to exalt the Father and the purposes of the Father
II.ETERNITY John 8: 51-53
51 "Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he will never see death." 52 The Jews said to Him, "Now we know that You have a demon. Abraham died, and the prophets also; and You say, 'If anyone keeps My word, he will never taste of death.' 53 "Surely You are not greater than our father Abraham, who died ? The prophets died too ; whom do You make Yourself out to be?"
Amen is an oath formula – literally So help me God – I am giving testimony (TRULY TRULY)
Jesus is really telling the truth – this stuff is important.
When the word of Jesus is in us, and we do it, Jesus says that we will not even notice death.
Literally, “Death he will not see.”
The believer takes little notice of death.
Why?
Death is a non-issue. This is why when we hold memorial services, they have a celebratory aspect to them. Physical death is a promotion to eternal life.
As He talks about death…
2. Jesus directs our attention to His timelessness.
The Jewish leaders cannot fathom Jesus’ statement.
For Jesus implies that He has what the ancients do not have – power over death.
So their response is, “Can you truly be greater than Abraham?”
“Come on now!” “That is truly unbelievable.”
What is truly difficult for them is that Jesus is aware of the implications and He still makes the claims.
For what Jesus implies here is that He is greater.
He is bigger than the ancients. He is superior over death, so much so, that He can prevent it.
This means that if He is superior to death, He is timeless.
Father Abraham was the greatest of the Patriarchs but here is one that is greater than Abraham ever wanted to be.
He is eternal.
Now Jesus gets to the things that are never going to change.
Thinking of the fullness and duration of this wonderful life, W. B. Hinson, a great preacher of a past generation, spoke from his own experience just before he died.
He said, “I remember a year ago when a doctor told me, ‘You have an illness from which you won’t recover.’
I walked out to where I live 5 miles from Portland, Oregon, and I looked across at that mountain that I love.
I looked at the river in which I rejoice, and I looked at the stately trees that are always God’s own poetry to my soul.
Then in the evening I looked up into the great sky where God was lighting His lamps, and I said, ‘ I may not see you many more times, but Mountain, I shall be alive when you are gone; and River, I shall be alive when you cease running toward the sea; and Stars, I shall be alive when you have fallen from your sockets in the great downpulling of the material universe!’”
This minister understood as we should that we will live forever.
This learning to live forever is a good thing – God planted this desire in so that we will come to Christ so that we can live with Him for eternity.
III. EXPECTATION
John 8: 54-56
54 Jesus answered, "If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing ; it is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say, 'He is our God '; 55 and you have not come to know Him, but I know Him; and if I say that I do not know Him, I will be a liar like you, but I do know Him and keep His word. 56 "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad."
Abraham had longed to see the day Jesus would come.
This is a direct reference to the time that God asked Abraham to sacrifice his only son Isaac. Abraham had his long awaited son and now God was asking him to sacrifice this son.
In Genesis 22 we learn the similarity between the story of Isaac and Jesus. Isaac would climb Mount Moriah the same mountain from which the crucifixion would take place, just like Jesus Isaac carried the wood of the sacrifice on his back.
There were many things that would point one toward the coming of Jesus in this story.
Then Abraham his stopped from killing his son and is told that God would provide the Lamb.
At that point all history and Abraham looked to the coming of this lamb of God.
Abraham had longed for this day.
As a matter of fact Jesus was a part of the promises made to Abraham . Abraham was promised Land, Nationhood, and a world wide blessing- Jesus would be the blessing to the entire world.
Do you long expectantly for Christ to return?
Do you see the world falling apart at the seams and sometimes cry out Maranatha which was the cry of the early Church come Lord Jesus.
Revelation 22: 20
20 He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming quickly." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
I love what this passage says - Jesus tells John the writer that He is coming Quick and then John replies – Amen, Come Lord Jesus
Can we say that with confidence today-
Could all of us here say in confidence – Come Lord Jesus – I am ready for your return. Come and put this world right. Bring Justice, mercy, and peace- we are ready.
IV. ESSENCE
John 8: 58-59
58 Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am." 59 Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple.
Jesus says the most revolutionary statement maybe in all of the Bible.
Before Abraham existed – I AM
This is the same word that God spoke in Exodus 3 at the burning bush to Moses. When Moses asked God what His name was – He told him – I AM, I AM – Ega Eimi
Jesus claims to be God in flesh- this is why they want to kill Him. This is the ultimate in blasphemy.
Jesus proclaims His essence – who He really is. He is 100% God – That is the most important thing of all.
Jesus can make all these claims come true – Eternal life, expectancy of His return because of his Essence – He is God
As we close today we are reminded how this gospel of John will end – Jesus will be crucified but will be raised to life again.
He appears to his followers – folks like us, and tells them
AS THE FATHER SENT ME NOW I SEND YOU
What does this mean?
Jesus calls us to the way of life that he embodied-
1) Exalting: Are we exalting Jesus in our life? – is it just about us or do we see ourselves as servants of others to the glory of God.
2) Are we plugged into Eternity – are we living in the Life of Jesus – Jesus taught that Life in Him starts now in this life not just when we die.
Are you living like your life in Jesus has started now? When people look at you do they see advanced signs of what is to come?
3) Are you living in expectation of His return?
Are you living in such a way that you take joy and comfort in the Lord’s Return?
Are you doing things in secret that you would be ashamed of if the Lord returned at that moment?
Are you living constantly saying just like John – Come Lord Jesus?
The sin of this world should make you feel that way, if we don’t feel that way then we are not taking sin that serious.
When we do take sin serious we will want God to return and take care of the injustice of this world.
4) Are we living like the very Essence of Jesus is God – The living God, Creator of the universe came into our world to save us.
Consider
For God So loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son – a radical love that calls us to faith – it calls us to a decision.
John’s gospel is calling you to decide – is Jesus who he claims to be?
If He is you better get right with him today!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment