Seeing Abraham
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Advent 3: Joy
Advent 3: Joy
The third Sunday of Advent we are invited to reflect on the joy we have access to because of our faith in Jesus. One of the defining characteristics of Christ-followers is their joyful demeanor. Let’s not allow the struggles of this year steal from the great joy we have because of Jesus.
Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.
The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them, And the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose;
It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice, Even with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, The excellence of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, The excellency of our God.
Strengthen the weak hands, And make firm the feeble knees.
Say to those who are fearful-hearted, “Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, With the recompense of God; He will come and save you.”
Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
Then the lame shall leap like a deer, And the tongue of the dumb sing. For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, And streams in the desert.
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Scripture and Prayer
John 8:48-59
John 8:48-59
Then the Jews answered and said to Him, “Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?”
Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.
And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges.
Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death.”
Then the Jews said to Him, “Now we know that You have a demon! Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, ‘If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.’
Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? And the prophets are dead. Who do You make Yourself out to be?”
Jesus answered, “If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God.
Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I say, ‘I do not know Him,’ I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word.
Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.”
Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?”
Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”
Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.
Introduction:
Introduction:
AG:
God’s gifts in nature have their limitations. They are finite because they have been created, but the gift of eternal life in Christ Jesus is as limitless as God. The Christian man possesses God’s own life and shares His infinitude with Him. In God there is life enough for all and time enough to enjoy it. Whatever is possessed of natural life runs through its cycle from birth to death and ceases to be, but the life of God returns upon itself and ceases never. And this is life eternal: to know the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom He has sent.
John 10:27–29; John 17:3; 1 John 5:11, 12
The Knowledge of the Holy, 73.
A. W. Tozer
TS: Today, we delve into John 8:48-59, a powerful passage where Jesus' claims and the Jews' responses expose the core tension between faith and unbelief.
Earlier, we saw Jesus’ claims:
He claimed to be the light of the world
He claimed unity with the Father
He foretold He would die for the sins
He claimed to be going beyond their reach (to heaven)
He claimed to be truth and bring freedom.
He claimed be sinless
Today, we exam His final claim, His claim of immortality.
RS: Just as the crowd gathered that day, we have to come to grips with Jesus’ claims in John 8.
1) Absurd Accusation
1) Absurd Accusation
They begin by making an absurd accusation
Then the Jews answered and said to Him, “Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?”
Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.
And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges.
Explanation: They make a 2 pronged attack
Since they couldn’t attack Jesus’ personal life and conduct, they tried an ad hominem attack of person abuse
Samaritan-
Samaritans, like Jesus, questioned the Jews exclusive right to be called sons of Abraham.
The Jews viewed them a “impure” and due to their bloodline and altered worship, disqualified to be children of Abraham
Bloodline makes NO difference!
Demon
They claim He is demonized and out of control
Today, we might use the word “insane” to describe the same thing.
They say He is out of His mind and any power He has comes from demonic activity
APPLICATION: When the truth cannot be silenced, personal attacks are the desperate last resort
We may have faced similar attacks
We preach, like Christ, leave your life of sin
They cannot refute the Scriptures call certain behaviors sin, so they attack on “not being loving” or calling us haters.
2) The Claim of Immortality (v. 51):
2) The Claim of Immortality (v. 51):
Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death.”
Explanation: Jesus asserts, whoever keeps my word will never see death."
This statement is shocking – death is universal, yet Jesus promises eternal life to those who follow Him.
If any human made that promise, it would be absurd, but Jesus is God! He isn’t promising something He cannot deliver.
He clearly is speaking here of far more than this flesh and blood. He speaks of our souls and our eternal destination.
Physical death cannot extinguish eternal life
It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.
But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.
Application: This verse challenges our understanding of life and death.
Following Jesus isn't just about avoiding physical death, but about experiencing a deeper, spiritual life that transcends earthly limitations.
ONCE He has given us eternal life, it is eternal!
Nothing can separate us from His love
We are adopted in the eternal family of God
Our destination of heaven is settled and is sure
In the final judgment, the Lamb’s book of life will be opened.
On its pages the names of all the redeemed are written
Our name will be there and never be removed
For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”
For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.
For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Illustration: Imagine a seed planted in fertile soil. While the seed itself will eventually decay, the life within it bursts forth in a vibrant plant. Similarly, those who follow Jesus experience a transformation, a new life that continues even when our physical bodies cease.
We are sown a temporal corrupted body, when the resurrection comes, we will have a new body.
3) The Dispute over Abraham (v. 53):
3) The Dispute over Abraham (v. 53):
Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? And the prophets are dead. Who do You make Yourself out to be?”
Jesus answered, “If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God.
Explanation: The Jews question Jesus' authority, citing Abraham's death as proof that no one escapes death.
They revered Abraham and probably walked a fine line between honoring their ancestor and worshipping Him
They at lease viewed Him as the greatest man
After all, they reasoned, God choose Abraham out of all the world to make the father of His nation and people.
They missed the point, that there was nothing special about Abraham!
God choose Him and He had faith, that’s it!
They rightfully point out that Abraham died and that the prophets died!
Jesus points out :
Jesus answered, “If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God.
Jesus here makes a direct claim that GOD is His Father
Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I say, ‘I do not know Him,’ I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word.
It is the same Father who choose Abraham that honors Jesus
Jesus goes on to say He knows the Father and Abraham
Abraham “rejoiced to see my day”
Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.”
Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?”
They see themselves as Abraham's descendants and question how Jesus, seemingly younger than 50, could claim such preeminence.
He claims to know and to be known by Abraham!
Application: This conflict highlights our tendency to rely on earthly markers of authority and lineage. We often miss the deeper reality of God's presence and power.
Illustration: Imagine a child who doesn't recognize their king because they've only seen him in portraits. Similarly, we may struggle to recognize Jesus' divine authority because we focus on earthly appearances.
4) Pre-existence Claim and Divine Identity (v. 58):
4) Pre-existence Claim and Divine Identity (v. 58):
Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”
Explanation: Jesus makes a profound statement: "Truly, truly I say to you, before Abraham was born, I AM."
This echoes the divine name "I AM" used by God in the Old Testament.
Jesus claims pre-existence, suggesting he existed before Abraham and is therefore greater than any human lineage.
He is directly saying, “I AM GOD”!
He is applying the name of God to Himself
His listeners understood this as we will see in their reaction.
Application: This verse challenges our limited understanding of time and God's nature.
Jesus' pre-existence points to his divine identity and his role as the eternal source of life.
He was there at creation and continues into all eternity future
Remember the opening lines of this gospel:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
and John 1:14
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
That is the heart of the gospel truth
That is the truth that sets us free
That is what we believe, when Jesus said
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
“He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Illustration: Imagine a river flowing through time. While the riverbed constantly changes, the water itself remains the same. Jesus is like that river, ever-present, even before the formation of our world and its figures like Abraham.
5) The Rejection and the Warning (v. 59):
5) The Rejection and the Warning (v. 59):
Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.
Explanation: The Jews' response to Jesus' claim is immediate and hostile.
They pick up stones to stone him, highlighting their rejection of his message and their reliance on earthly law.
Application: This reaction serves as a warning for us.
When faced with challenging truths, we may be tempted to reject them or resort to violence.
Instead, we should seek understanding and open our hearts to the possibility of encountering the divine.
Jesus’ claims shook the very foundation of their lives, and they do the same to us today
Don’t respond in hostility
Many today do
Respond in faith!
Illustration: Imagine a scientist presenting evidence that contradicts established theories. Some may reject it out of fear of disrupting the status quo. We must be like the open-minded scientists, willing to re-evaluate our beliefs and follow the evidence wherever it leads.
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
John 8:48-59 is a powerful passage that invites us to grapple with fundamental questions about life, death, and our relationship with God.
Remember, Jesus promises life beyond death, challenges our earthly perspectives, and calls us to open our hearts to the truth of his divine identity. Let us embrace this message and live lives that reflect his eternal presence.