The Claims of Christ
Notes
Transcript
Advent: week 1
The first Sunday of Advent gives us the opportunity to center our thoughts on hope.
It's a beautiful chance to remember the hope God offers to our lost and dying world, and that He's given us through Jesus.=
But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law,
to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.
And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”
Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
But then, indeed, when you did not know God, you served those which by nature are not gods.
Paul, the writer of Galatians, articulates so perfectly the great hope we celebrate at Christmas! Without God’s intervention, we were all slaves...bound up by our sin nature and hopelessly headed to the grave. Because of God's great love for us, He came down and rescued humanity by sending his Son as a sacrifice for our sin—so we could be free from the chains of sin and become fully part of God’s glorious eternal family.
This candle of hope symbolizes promises delivered through the prophets from God as well as the hope we have in Christ. God crafted a great rescue plan that he lays out in Scripture. This plan foretells years in advance the arrival of Christ. The Bible also gives us a glimpse of the future and promises that God will come down to create a new heaven and Earth.
A Prayer for the First Sunday of Advent
A Prayer for the First Sunday of Advent
Father, let your hope arise in our hearts! Lift our eyes up to see that you alone are where our hope comes from. Help us to shake off the anxiety, discouragements, and distractions that have filled this year.
May we pause to remember that we have hope in you.
You know the end of our stories, and we give thanks because you have promised that it will be a victorious ending. Give us the grace we need to wrap up this year joyfully.
We invite your Spirit into this beautiful Advent season. Renew our sense of holy anticipation! Let us be those who are waiting eagerly for Jesus to come again.
More than anything, we ask that you be glorified in this season of expectation. Amen.
Introduction
Introduction
AG:
TS: John 8:12-59 is a pivotal passage in the Gospel of John, as it marks a turning point in Jesus' ministry. In this passage, Jesus makes bold claims about his identity and authority, which enrage the Jewish leaders and lead to a heated exchange. The passage culminates with Jesus' dramatic statement, "Before Abraham was, I am," which further alienates the Jewish leaders and foreshadows his eventual crucifixion.
Historical Context
The passage takes place in the context of the Feast of Tabernacles, a major Jewish festival that commemorated the Israelites' wilderness wanderings. The setting is the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, the holiest site in Judaism.
Grammatical Analysis
The passage is characterized by Jesus' use of the emphatic phrase "I am" (εγώ ειμί) to assert his identity and authority. He also uses a number of rhetorical devices, such as parallelism, repetition, and hyperbole, to emphasize his points.
RS:
I. Jesus' Claim to Be the Light of the World (John 8:12-18)
I. Jesus' Claim to Be the Light of the World (John 8:12-18)
A. Jesus declares himself to be "the light of the world" (John 8:12).
Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
Light was an often used OT metaphor
It highlights Jesus’ role as Messiah and Son of GOD
The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?
But to you who fear My name The Sun of Righteousness shall arise With healing in His wings; And you shall go out And grow fat like stall-fed calves.
Similar to what John said in John 1:4, John 1:9)
In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.
In this whole exchange, Jesus is tying Himself to GOD and these Messianic passages
B. Jesus promises that those who follow him will "never walk in the darkness" (John 8:12).
Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
“follows”- one who gives Himself completely to the person followed
Like Israel in the Exodus following GOD as a Pillar of Cloud by Day and Fire by night
Light and Dark cannot coexist
When the light enters our lives, the darkness is dispelled.
Jesus is saying true believers will walk righteously in Him instead of in the darkness of wickedness.
One who TRUSTS Him so much, they follow wherever He leads without hesitation.
A true disciple
C. The Jewish leaders accuse Jesus of bearing witness to himself (John 8:13).
The Pharisees therefore said to Him, “You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true.”
The tradition and law required witnesses to verify the truth in any testimony.
This passage shows a back and forth, similar to a legal debate
Jesus declares His witness to be true
Jesus gives 3 reasons His testimony was true
1. He knew His origin (Reference to Heaven)
He was sent from the Father
Prophets didn’t need witnesses, God the Son surely doesn’t!
Jesus defends his testimony by appealing to his knowledge of his origin and destination (John 8:14).
Jesus answered and said to them, “Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going.
2. The Intimate Union between the Father and Himself
He was not merely flesh, He was God as well
He didn’t judge by fleshly standards
Judgement- discernment, getting to the truth John 8:15-16
You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.
And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me.
Jesus contrasts how they discern the truth
Pharisees- according to the flesh
Jesus- 1st, wasn’t here to judge!
at 2nd advent we will see this on full display!
“He is with the Father”
This is stressing their unity
They have the same judgment
3. The Father and Son witnessed in harmony
Jesus contrasts his own testimony with that of Moses (John 8:17-18).
It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true.
I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me.”
He cites the Law of having 2 witnesses
He meets that criteria:
1st He testifies of himself
2nd The Father testifies of Him
He again stressed the unity of the Father and Son
II. Jesus' Claim to Be the One who will Die for their Sins (John 8:19-32)
II. Jesus' Claim to Be the One who will Die for their Sins (John 8:19-32)
A. Jesus claims God as Father again(John 8:19).
Then they said to Him, “Where is Your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither Me nor My Father. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also.”
They asked about His father (they were still thinking according to the flesh
Seemed foolish to them-
Whose Father could support the claims Jesus made!
Jesus said knowing Him was knowing the Father
Here is a direct claim from Messiah that He and the Father were the same!
Clearly, Jesus claimed to BE God!!
C. They didn’t “lay hands on Him” John 8:20-21
These words Jesus spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one laid hands on Him, for His hour had not yet come.
Then Jesus said to them again, “I am going away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin. Where I go you cannot come.”
They wanted to arrest and kill Him (this was revealed in previous verses, but they were restrained from taking Him now, before his time.
He tells them of His departure (to Heaven)
Then they will seek Him (recognize as Messiah)
But die in sin
Jesus already knew who would be saved and who wouldn’t
He knew these accusers were never going to be saved
Be unable to reach Him
They won’t be able to reach Him
D. They Question His intentions
John 8:22-24
So the Jews said, “Will He kill Himself, because He says, ‘Where I go you cannot come’?”
And He said to them, “You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.
Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”
Is he planning to commit suicide so we can’t reach Him?
In their mind, there was no limit to their reach!
They
They arrogantly thought He couldn’t escape or hide from them
V. 24 John 8:24
Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”
He directly states: His death was for their (and our) sins
If they didn’t believe in Him, they would die in their sins
Implication is they are doomed to Hell
Failure to believe that Jesus is Messiah and Son of GOD has always been the fatal, unforgivable, and eternal sin.
Notice the word “He” is in italics
That means it isn’t in the original.
Jesus says “I Am” in Hebrew, it is the name of God
THAT is how clearly He identifies Himself as God
E. The Explanation
John 8:25-30
Then they said to Him, “Who are You?” And Jesus said to them, “Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning.
I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him.”
They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father.
Then Jesus said to them, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things.
And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.”
As He spoke these words, many believed in Him.
A direct question V. 25
Who are you?
MacArthur Study Bible NASB Commentary
Who are You? The Jews were willfully ignorant because chaps. 1–8 demonstrate that multiple witnesses testified to Jesus’ identity, and Jesus Himself in words and actions persistently proved throughout His ministry on earth that He was the Son of God and Messiah. from the beginning. The start of Jesus’ ministry among the Jews
Jesus’ answer
V. 25-26
The same message I have always said
He was proclaiming what the Father (they are 1) was saying
He was proclaiming the gospel
V. 27-30
They will understand after they crucify Him
This led many to believe
Conclusion
Conclusion
John 8:12-59 is a complex and challenging passage, but it is also one of the most important passages in the Gospel of John. It reveals Jesus' true identity as the Son of God and the Savior of the world. It also shows the opposition that Jesus faced from the Jewish leaders and foreshadows his eventual crucifixion.