Untitled Sermon (2)

This morning as I entered the sanctuary, I got hit by a bus at 40 mph.

It came out of nowhere and completely crushed me, breaking multiple bones, fracturing, head trauma, and near-death experience.

Do you believe me?

It’s obvious why we should not, when a person is hit by a bus it makes an impact.

A lot of people have made claims of Jesus impact upon their lives.

We either make great claims about his impact upon us and unfortunately it appears like the bus appears, no impact or consequences.

Or the impact Jesus has is greater than the bus and we are fundamentally wrecked and changed forever.

There are two kinds of people in the world: those who seek God and those who seek to avoid him... and both will be successful. – Kenneth Boa

In our world we have many people and views that claim they are getting hit by buses with no impact.

To verify whether we are hit by buses, the bus must be present to exist.

We make a lot of claims in our life, whether here in church, in life, or in our private thoughts.

Our sermon series is Jesus is ___________

As a church body Jesus as Christ our Lord as the core of who we are, what is true, and our foundation, this impact of Jesus on us is both known, held, and elevated.

But we aren’t alone in how people presuppose or believe what kind of impact Jesus has upon the world.

In our passage, we see Jesus is Unavoidable, a lot of the time Jesus is seen positively even in modern culture the name of Jesus is still held in high regard.

This isn’t how the dialogue of Jesus happens in our passage.

A lot of modern views of Jesus make Jesus seem more like a peace-loving, go with the flow, 420 friendly, person who doesn’t confront or make waves.

The Jesus of the Bible is unavoidable, confrontational, and has enormous impact by what he claims about himself. So much so that it seems to be worthy of death.

Our sermon text comes from John 8:48-59 found on page 79

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.

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?”

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.”

57 So the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?”

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.

Here’s what confuses me about this passage is the level and back and forth that goes between Jesus’ dialogue with some of the Jewish people. The speed in which it happens and attempting to map it is a complicated challenge.

The two, Jesus and the Jewish Pharisees are obviously in opposition to each other

What helped understand is that the Pharisees make 3 types of attacks to dismiss Jesus.

The try to dismiss him by identity, authority, and worldly wisdom.

This all leads to a climatic situation in which Jesus shows why he is unavoidable no matter what kind of excuses, hang-ups, or assumptions we make about Jesus

The Jesus of the Bible isn’t an imaginary bus, He makes an impact.

“It is easy to follow a generic God because you can fill the term God with any presupposition you please; it is difficult to follow Jesus, because then you have to take seriously his teachings on discipleship, on what exactly following him entails.”

— Michael Hardin

God as generic leaves a lot of room for making God not a leader of life but a follower of our own life.

The reason a lot of people avoid the Jesus of the Bible opposed to Jesus of the generic imagination isn’t what we think.

The more we find out more of Jesus of the Bible we either fall more deeply in love with him and must surrender our own will for God’s will

Or

We oppose him with all that we can muster, attempting to hold onto whatever we can muster up of pride, anger, outrage at perceived injustice, and attempt to keep our kingdom.

The people talking to Jesus in this passage of the Bible are from the second perspective, Jesus is a threat to their kingdom and everyone they hold valuable.

The leaders have one view and from that view they make all their arguments and belief that Jesus is wrong in who He is, who he claims to be, and what he claims about himself and them.

It’s a pride built around self-defense and fear.

A lot of the reason we don’t let Jesus into our deepest places of fear, guilt, and pain is because we are afraid of what we may lose if we do.

The Pharisees hated Jesus, but more than that they feared that Jesus message was true.

Because if it was true, that means their life has been built upon a lie of self.

Instead of using the gift of the law and biblical text to uplift and encourage people to God they did the opposite, drove people away from God and into slavery of legalism.

Instead of freedom, they were slave masters using religion.

The people Jesus gets angry at and confront over and over, is not the wandering, lost, confused, or poor.

It’s the religious, the upright, the powerful, and those who look at preference above people.

The preferred worship, the preferred speaker, the preferred friends, the preferred people who are presupposed to be the ‘right people’.

This isn’t a warning to the Pharisees alone, it’s a warning passage to us and all of us who try to avoid deciding on Jesus and what it means to follow him.

If we are right in our devices and philosophy, Jesus must be wrong.

To admit we are wrong is to admit Jesus is right, and for a world built upon power this is hard.

This is no parable of story to unleash imagination, this is not a gentle dialogue to a wandering person, this is war of power and control.

48 “Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?”

“Do we not say rightly” this isn’t a question; this is a rhetorical question needing no answer, they assume it is true.

This whole back and forth seems at first glance like a bunch of name-calling “I know you are but what am I” kind of attitude.

But it goes deeper, with this first of Identity they are following how a lot of ancients argued.

They are giving a title to their argument, Samaritan and Demon possessed.

The Samaritans, this is a racial slur, Jesus wasn’t Samaritan, but used as an insult they are declaring Jesus is a heretic, cult builder, and “not of Israel”

This is a classic move of “us” vs “them”, to demonize and mitigate a person’s personhood to a category of evil.

Racial and national separations have led to some of the worst atrocities in human history and even now Russia uses it their propaganda war upon Ukraine.

They accuse Jesus of not being a ‘true Jewish person’ but a traitor. On top of that they claim he is demon-possessed. This is not figurative; they mean this literally.

In their view, Jesus is using magic and his powers are demonic.

They couldn’t refute his power, his arguments, or his claims so they attack his person.

In assumption of that time, to be demon-possessed means you voluntarily accepted a demon to possess you.

In their view, there were no victims of demon possession only demon worshippers.

All this is leveled to Jesus as his identity.

As followers of Jesus, we can expect the same. As we identify with Christ, our identity in the world is put in jeopardy.

A lot of people who go to church think they can walk the tightrope, act in front of one group here and another here.

For a time, this will work, it especially works the less you identify with Christ.

But to accept the identity of Jesus means you also will accept the identity the world accuses.

As a Christian church on one side, there still is no other group in modern or historical context that has done more, given more resources, and cared more for the marginalized across cultures.

A study from Faithwire “State of the Bible said”

Bible-engaged Americans gave a total of $145 billion to charities in 2021, amounting to about $2,907 per household. The same figure for the Bible disengaged was just $924.

On average a Bible engaged American gives three times more to charity than those who are not.

This is a positive identifier.

To be a Christian though means we will have to also accept other terms.

Whether we want to admit them or not, the Christian church tied itself to political powers that are responsible for Crusades, for brainwashing and genocide of Indigenous populations in both Canada and US, and a history of prideful people using power to destroy.

Whether it’s true or not, fair, or not doesn’t make a difference there is always a cost to identifying with Christ.

Trying to say “I am not like them” just hurts us, because instead of admitting sin found in our Christian history and working from repentance, we work to defend our kingdom of pride.

Jesus doesn’t work from fear or reaction, he works from perspective and who identifies Him.

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.

Jesus ignores the racial slur of Samaritan. As we saw last week, Jesus with the woman of Samaria is not one built upon racism but of love and grace.

His opponents are dishonoring him, but he makes a simple claim.

I Honor my father; the whole goal of Jesus is to elevate God.

During identity attacks of character. He honors God.

Jesus sets the tone of what identity is truly about, it’s not about us or even each other, its about what honors God.

Actions of people built upon pride, anger, and reaction to world things like Crusades and forceful conversion do not honor God.

This is what opponent did and this is what Jesus condemns.

Jesus knew his identity was not about what glorified himself or gave himself power but what honored God and not relying upon his glory.

Jesus the core of our faith, the one we glorify, does not glorify himself but rather submits.

A lot of our identity wars and confusion happen around glory and credit.

Who gets noticed and what gets noticed?

Jesus makes that clear, notice God.

If we did the same, all of a sudden, our fears, insecurities, and reason to divide look pretty small.

If we noticed, we would see how to live as Jesus did

51 Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he will never see death.”

Truly truly or Amen Amen, the best way to understand this is Listen Up and Pay attention.

To truly be one who honors God and follows him is not based on any religious or silly titles or powers.

It’s in keeping Jesus’ word notice he says “My” not “the” or “a” or some weird kind of generic thing he makes it about himself.

To never see death, is that those who listen and obey to the message of Jesus will have eternal life.

We think this means no suffering; Jesus is about to go through a ton of suffering in our road to Easter.

We aren’t special.

It’s not suffering Jesus is avoiding, it’s disobedience and pride.

His audience misses it.

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?”

The second attack focuses on Jesus’ claim and his authority.

This reaction isn’t that crazy. Jesus just made a bold claim, that death will not reach his followers.

Death is the hinge of Jesus’ message and the attack upon him.

Death is the equalizer that determines whether Jesus is truly true, and his followers will have an eternal life.

Or if he is truly what his hostile audience says that he is a liar and heretic

The authority Jesus claimed is to be master over death both physical and spiritual.

The argument goes simply, the great prophets and teachers like Abraham all faced death and they remained dead.

How can this Jesus fellow make a claim?

There is no middle ground, either Jesus is master over death, greater than all the prophets, or he is a liar and a lunatic.

A generalized Jesus who is friendly, accommodating, and the perfect image of a Jesus petting a lamb doesn’t make the claim of being exclusive and powerful.

Most people are agreeable to Jesus, the easiest way to help others see Jesus is to show them Jesus.

This isn’t Jesus the lamb title, this is Jesus the Lion.

The true Jesus of the Bible is unavoidable, he makes claims either validate his claim of himself or that he is truly crazy.

This is all truly crazy unless it is true.

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.

The whole force of the disagreement of authority and who knows God comes to head here.

Jesus claims God is His Father, they misrepresent and misuse God for their own power and religious authority, and they do not know Him.

To know God is to follow him.

This is like his argument above that it’s not about glory or power or preference it’s about relationship.

Jesus has a personal relationship with the God they are missing.

Instead of being with God, they wanted to work for God and take some things on the side for themselves.

Instead of reaching out to a world in pain, who is being divided and screaming for a savior, they look to divide into preferences, and power, and authority.

Jesus isn’t shy about sin, the sin in front of Him is they are lying about God.

Jesus isn’t willing to be around liars and if they truly could see Him they would see like Abraham did and rejoice because the Messiah is here instead they attack with their last argument of wisdom

56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.”

57 So the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?”

There is worldly wisdom and godly wisdom.

The age of wisdom in Jewish tradition is age 50

Jesus is around 30.

They make an insult and again a sentence that makes sense, how can you be alive at the same time as Abraham?

The world will determine our value based upon many standards of wisdom and knowledge.

Knowledge of education, friendships, internal family affirmations, success, power, riches, social change, age, articulate knowledge.

These things are great value enhancers, but they are not value-identifiers.

Jesus doesn’t care about these as value identifiers, and neither should we.

It is good to have different knowledge basis, it is not good to determine our or others value based upon it.

This is not wisdom, it’s foolish, empty, and cruel.

Jesus could have had a conversation of wisdom instead though he does something worse.

58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.”

A common argument against Jesus being divine goes like this “Where in the Bible did Jesus say the word’s I am God?”

If we show them a verse like this, it is said “No God mentioned so therefore Jesus didn’t say it”

What this reveal is not a problem with the Bible but the misunderstanding of terms and clarity but let’s clearly see what happens in v59

59 Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him

Immediately, they pick up stones to kill him. If Jesus said nothing, then nothing is wrong. But why this reaction.

Because Jesus said I am God and the place we go is Moses.

In the OT, Moses has a powerful experience of speaking with God at the burning bush. A lot of things happen here but most critical is Moses asks God, what do we call you?

Exodus 3:14

14 And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “This is what you shall say to the sons of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”

I am, to us this doesn’t seem like a big deal. But to the Jewish people it was everything.

God has named himself; God has declared who He is to the people.

The personal name of God himself.

In the Jewish tradition this name of God was so sacred it came as a breath.

This term, we call Yahweh, but to the Jewish people they would not speak it. They would make a breathing sound or use an alternative word.

The name of God was held with such reverence that people could face criminal charges by just using it in a conversation.

“I am” refers to God who is, who will be, and has always been.

To a group of hostile opponents, those who hated Jesus what Jesus the man just declared to other religious men.

“I am God” “I am eternity, always been, always will be, and no one came after me except those who I created and none will be greater than me”

Jesus is Unavoidable,

We can pretend our entire lives that Jesus is a religious figure of many, a prophet, a myth, a king, a rebel, or a liar.

To these men, Jesus was a heretic. Jesus was a blasphemer, Jesus was declaring before them that He is God, not just a god like Zeus or man-god like Hercules, but the one and only true God and no other God is equal or able to be matched by him.

If anyone today made that declaration, we would rightly say it’s crazy.

It is crazy for a man to declare himself God, it is crazy for people to give their lives to this man surrendering all they are to him, it is crazy to believe this man died and rose again, Christians are crazy.

The opponents here beat on one thing: that if Jesus died he would stay dead.

Death is the equalizer. Dead prophets don’t have power.

Jesus’ crime is obvious, He declares that He is God, and He will not stay dead as proof.

Jesus must die, and if he stays dead than all he builds is useless and dead with him.

For the Pharisees to be right, Jesus must die and stay dead. Otherwise, they are the ones divided from the kingdom.

All their bets are left, and they have no choice.

The best and most satisfying thing a person can do is to seek and find the God who loves, to enjoy and know the King of the universe who is the master of death and that whether we try to avoid him or seek him we will eventually be brought before Him.

Don’t play church or being Christian, either Jesus is Risen and that wrecks and destroys all our presuppositions we hold about life, truth, beauty, and love or He isn’t, and we must flee from him.

Jesus makes the unavoidable claim that those who know Him listen to him. To listen to who He is and whether we avoid today we can’t avoid Him forever.