Rooted in truth

Rooted in Truth

John 8:30-32

February 11, 2024

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Have you ever tried to pull a tree out of the ground? Have you ever tried to pull an old stump or even a dead tree out of the ground? I know a few of you have and maybe even one who thought that the tee was dead but found out that it was very much alive.

I remember when I had just bought my pickup and it was shiny, new, and not a single dent on it. I thought it was a perfect specimen of man’s engineering. With that in mind, I wanted to remove an old bush that looked dead that was planted by my well. So, I thought it was a good idea to tie a rope around the base and hook it to the tow hitch of my new truck, and just pull it out. After all, what was such a small bush in comparison to the might of the FORD Motor company.

As I dropped my truck into gear, the rope went tight, and the truck instantly stopped. After adding more gas it sounded like someone had shot my tailgate with a shotgun! The rope snapped like a rubber band. Half flew right into the back of my beautiful tailgate making a permanent line of dents still visible today. I got out and that dumb bush was still there mocking my efforts.

You know the power of a rooting system may be much stronger than the plant portrays. Even though the top looks rough, the roots may be grounded deep into its anchor. You could argue that the bush that had looked weathered, rotten, and old was abiding just fine in its source of life and it was NOT going to let go. It was not dead at all, rather just abiding in its home and nourishment.

Today our Lord has a very strong message for two types of people. He takes one person on a journey to a mountaintop top of confirmation of their root system while showing another that their “idea” of who Jesus is is shallow and empty of true belief. Jesus shows that real belief will lead to a life that demonstrates an ongoing love for God and an abiding in the Son that is active and fruit baring.

We need to do a quick review of where Jesus is and what has been going on. In the 8thchapter of John, the apostle records Jesus and His exchange with the Jews at the Feast of Booths. He had just used the second “I AM” statement when He said, “I am the light of the world.” Remember that he was in the courtyard of women teaching many Jews that:

Vs 22: “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am He you will die in your sins.”

The “HE” here is referring to unless you believe in Him as Lord, as the Light of the World, and Savior of the world provided by God to fix the issue of sin our our lives, you will die in your sin. And now our Lord provides one of the most convicting, challenging, and powerful “so what’s” in this chapter so far. Jesus takes us on a journey connecting one step after another in a beautiful progression of the human heart.

1. Progression of possession.

The key use of conjunctive words means that our Lord is taking the reader and the Jews listening to Him in a step-by-step progression to a final destination. He is teaching them the answer to the single most important question in the hearts and minds of every believer and some who think that they are believers. Let’s look back at our passage.

Vs 30 “As He was saying these things, many believed in Him. Vs 31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him…”

When we read these words we immediately think, these guys are saved! They believe in Jesus, right? Well, that unfortunately is not the case. These “believe” what he was saying but only from an intellectual standpoint. We will see next Sunday the result of their calloused view in vs 33 where they start to argue with Jesus.

So why does John say they believed? It was because of 7:31:

“Yet many of the people believed in him. They said, ‘When the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this man has done?’”

This mental understanding was grounded in good information! They had every right to start to understand what and who He was! They saw the signs, heard Him speak, and heard Him say that He was the Light of the world, and yet, in verse 33 they still get it wrong. They still cannot connect Him to the Father and thus, the “belief” is cut short in their lack of spiritual sight. The Jews themselves were claiming a connection to the Father while missing the Son. But, the two can not be separated.

2 John 9:

“Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ does not have God.

And

1 John 2:23

No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also

We, in our time and space, like the Jesus in the NT but struggle with the Father. Interesting how time has changed what we are hung up on. We think God is the grouchy God of the OT and gravitate to what Jesus is in the NT or worse, a Jesus we fabricate. But, when we only like one without the other, we are no different than the Jews who rejected the Son. We can’t have the Son without the Father. We can’t have the Father without the Son. The two abide together.

Let’s finish 2 John 9:

“Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.”

The two are connected and there is a keyword that describes that relationship, abide.

Were the Jews who “believed” in verses 30 and 31 abiding in the Father? Were they believing? No, but their mental belief is still very important because in response to their “understanding” or believing in John’s words, Jesus gives us, in my humble opinion, one of the most important measurements for true belief in all of God’s Word.

So, what is this belief that John is describing? Please turn in your Bibles to:

Matthew 13:3-9

3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, 6 but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 He who has ears, let him hear.”[1]

The Jews that “believed” in this verse are the ones that I lose sleep over for our church. These are the ones who know and think that they in the good soild but in reality, they are a plants growing in their shallow soil. In the end, the sun will scorch, the wind will push, and the plant will be trampled and pulled from the ground by a Ford pickup. Their shallow soil is only mentally deep, not heart-deep. Why? Because they are not abiding in the source of life, the Light of the world. They intellectually have it, but do not own it. In the end, they will hear,

Matthew 7:21

“Not everyone who says to me LORD, LORD, will enter the kingdom of heaven…”

Those who “believe” go on to prove that they are not the good soil in verses 33 and on. They prove that they may have a mental understanding but do not have what Jesus now, in my opinion, shows as the most important answer to the heart of every believer. Jesus now turns His attention to the good soil. The ones who are truly saved.

2. Abiding in Him is the right belief.

So, what does right look like? Praise God, He shows us right here. In two small verses, He shows us what being a true believer, rooted in HIM looks like. If you ever wondered what it looked like to be a true disciple of Christ, here you go.

Vs 31…”If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

These two verses are like a mountain top experience! Look what Jesus does, He says “IF” a thrapple condition word, IF you abide in HIS WORD, THEN you are HIS disciple and THEN you know the truth and THEN you are free!

We have to break this down.

a. Abide in HIM: Relationship expected (abide) Those who abide have a different belief: John 8:31; 15:7; 15:8; 2 John 9

John 15:7-10

6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.[2]

The word “ABIDE” means: meno or remain, stay, or lodge

The picture is perfect when Jesus uses the analogy of a vine or plant being connected to its source. Or, allow my analogy to work. The plan that is not rooted in the life-giving source of the soil is soon to be scorched, pulled up, and burned. The very clear expectation that the believer is to remain or stay or even lodge IN.

But, in what? Let’s look back at vs 31: “If you abide in my word”.

That word is LOGOS and in this passage means HIS message. It is the very essence of God’s spoken and revealed will in the flesh (Jesus). It is also the printed will of the Father to the child of God. If you wonder if you are really abiding in, you must ask, how do you feel about HIS word? Please notice the tense of the verbs. This is an active participation and expectation. We do this continually.

Now is a good time to look at your feelings about His message (His Word). How do you view it? Is the Word of God sufficient in your life? Is it complete enough in your life or do you feel it necessary to add to it to fit your thought process? Is it complete enough for your questions and troubles in your life?

I hear from time to time that Christians say that every question in your life is answered in the Bible while non-believers will say “Isn’t that just something that religious people say?” Well, while I would agree that the Bible will not tell you the name of your future wife or what major to pursue in college, I will say that finding the most important questions answered in God’s word is easy. Allow me to show you:

A. Relationships/friendships: Matthew 18:15-16; 1 Samuel 18

B. Marriage: Eph 5:21-28; Song of Solomon 8:6-7; Gen 2:18-24; Ephesians 5:33

C. How to handle kids: Ephesians 6:1-4 and Proverbs 1-5; 22:6

D. Finances: Malachi 3:10=tithing; Ecclesiastes 5:10; Romans 13:8=debt

E. How to be in and a part of your community: Acts 6:1-7; Acts 20:1-5

F. Witness to the lost: Matthew 28:19; John 3; 17; 8:21

G. Conflict in the body of the church: Acts 18:26=Prisilla and Aquilla

You see, the word of God does not leave the child of God guessing in the most important decisions and actions of our lives. Christ is teaching us a very important principle, “IF you abide in my WORD…then He takes us to the top of the mountain!

Vs 31 If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples…

Again, the word “IF” is conditional on abiding. Abiding in what? His Word. And, IF that is the case, we are truly HIS disciples.

Notice the word truly! Truly: alethos means really. Or truly really.

I would argue authentic or real to that definition. If we abide (lodge) in His Word (His message) then we are truly (really) His disciples.

The word disciples is the condition we as believers must aspire to get to and should be in now! This is the application of this message and the action step for all of us in this room who call ourselves followers/disciples of Christ.

Disciple: mathetes means a learner, pupil. We are to learn from and immolate what we are seeing in His word while abiding. He is our educator; our instructor and we are to learn to follow His commands:

John 14:15

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”

Or 1 John 2:3

3 And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. [3]

The expectation is to KEEP His commands. What are His commands? Church this is the most important principle for the doubting heart today. Please listen closely to how RC Sproul makes sense of this:

“If we love Him, we will obey Him. If we do not obey Him, that’s proof positive that no matter what we say, there is no love for Christ in our hearts. Genuine love for Jesus manifests itself in obedience to His commandments.”

If we truly say we are Abiding in Christ, and we are His disciples, our lives must be a life of obedience to the Master. If we are lovingly obeying His Word, we are truly His disciples. Notice, I never said that you have to obey BEFORE He accepts you! No, it is a response to what He has done in you. When this happens, we then KNOW that we are His disciples! When our lives are drastically on a different path, we have confirmation that we are abiding in Him. It is the process of sanctification in the heart of the believer.

3. Know the fruit of abiding.

You know the sign that a plant is alive? You break the branch and it is green on the inside. Have you ever wondered if it hurts the plant to break a branch off to see if it is green? I just did when I wrote this message. Sometimes, our branches get broken and the one who broke them often looks to see if the branch is still green as if to ask, are you still alive?

I bet some plants in this room feel as if you have no more branches to offer as a test. Or maybe, someone has broken a massive branch off of you and you are still trying to heal from that. I want to come alongside you and point you to who keeps you alive. That truth that you are anchored to keeps you alive!

Vs 32 “and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

How powerful is it to know the truth? How powerful is it to know that you are His disciple when you abide in His Word, and you are truly His disciple? Think about this! How many fathers and mothers of the faith went to horrible deaths knowing and rejoicing in this truth? Think of the healing knowledge of knowing that you are in fact IN the truth that sets you free! This truth is an active truth that makes disciples move, engage, and strengthen the body of Christ.

If we know this truth, we are free. Free from sin, death, and a life of bondage. We should be (active) in life, not the frozen chosen. I would draw your attention to the best example of what this truth does. If we look at how the disciples acted after Christ’s ascension, we see them GO into the world and follow the great commission. All acted and, according to church history, gave their lives up for this truth. The only one to die of old age was the apostle John and he was boiled in oil before dying in exile.

A disciple acts, moves, and follows. They do not stay stagnant permanently. They do what the master did and does. They produced fruit based on their relationship to the source, Christ. They did not move on their own! They took the message of the good news to the world because of the person they were abiding in.

Someday it would be great to study each of the 12 and what happened to each one. But, for today I can tell you that each of their lives produced fruit that came from the true source, Christ. Now, I have a quick question for each of us. This is an individual question that you need to answer to yourself and not out loud. Look at the fruit you produce. Would Christ be proud of the fruit growing from your branches or would He want to rip the bush out by its roots? I want to be clear; I am talking to both the saved and unsaved. You see, all people produce fruit. Both the saved and the unsaved.

This passage today separates the true believer from the fake. Christ is talking to two different types of people. There is the person who says, yea, I know who Jesus is but come Monday, they look, act, and think nothing like Jesus. Then, there are the ones who:

a. Abide: they Lodge/live and are IN Christ

b. They abide in HIS Word: Do you find joy in His commands, live on and live in His commands

c. They abide, in His Word and ARE a disciple: Do you follow Him in selfless service to God and people?

Many come to Melba Bible Church because it is a small church family. It is family-friendly and family-focused. But, what makes a family a family is that all its members are actively serving the family for the family’s well-being. A disciple of Christ is a doer. NOT doing for their salvation but doing BECAUSE of their salvation. If you see the same person doing it all, it’s like the right hand doing everything that the left should do. A body MUST work together.

I am here today calling each of us to look at the body of Christ. If you are a disciple of Christ, we are not called to be idle. We are called to go, go out. Do this thing called growing fruit. Does our church need help? Yes! Do our communities need help? Yes! Does our country need help? Yes! Does our world need help? Yes! Now, let’s be disciples and do what our teacher showed us.

In our passage, I want to finish on one word for the non believer.

Free: eleuthero : means “free or to be set free”

Unbeliever aside:

Maybe you’re here today and you are one of those who would not say they see Jesus as Lord but you just know that He was a real person. My question is this, do you feel owned or weighted down by sin and guilt? Do you feel that pressure on your back? Now listen, not all do. Some do not. I am talking to those who know that your sin has a cost. Now please know that what Jesus Christ, the Son of God just said is that the “truth will set you free.” Do you know what that truth is?

That truth is HIM! It is the fact that God, being merciful saw that you could not pay the penalty of sin and shame. Instead of allowing you to pay that penalty, He sent His perfect righteous sinless Son to pay that penalty of your sin on a Roman cross so that you do not have to pay that penalty. Now, that is freedom in that truth! That is God making your branches that were dead because of your sin alive again. You are no longer destined to be ripped from the ground and burned.

Conclusion:

These verses are the greatest joy for the believer. If you ever wondered if you were truly saved, ask yourself, do you abide in His word? Do you love it? Is it a lamp to your feet? If so, you are His disciple! IF that is you, now, are you bearing the fruit of that relationship? Are you sharing and contributing to the body of Christ? Are you sharing this freedom that you have? Are you sharing this truth with those who are not free and who do not know this truth? Dear believer, may this be a challenge to you today.

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. 2016. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles. [2] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. 2016. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles. [3] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. 2016. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.