Authentic Discipleship

Our scripture for today is John 8:31-38.

Before we read our text, however, I want to point out a couple verses that help us understand the context of our scripture. The first verse is John 8:30 where we read…

John 8:30 ESV

As he was saying these things, many believed in him.

The second verse is John 8:59, which says…

John 8:59 ESV

So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.

(pause)

Here is a question for you…

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How could the same people who believed in Jesus … try to kill him a few minutes later?

(PAUSE)

Now, admittedly, to understand fully why these Jews who believed in Jesus became so angry that they picked up stones to kill him, we would need to read the full passage - John 8:31-59. However, we find in just a part of this text the essential reason why their “conversion” didn’t take.

Let us read our text together… John 8:31-38

John 8:31–38 ESV

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.”

The story behind our text today is that at the close of the Feast of Tabernacles, possibly during the beautiful lighting ceremony where huge bowls of oil were lighted and choirs of Levites sang hymns, Jesus stood, boldly proclaiming, “I am the light of the world!”

The Pharisees immediately challenged him about his self-testimony. Jesus spoke with authority, telling them that when he was lifted up - crucified, risen, and ascended - they would realize that He was the Messiah.

In response, many people believed in him.

(pause)

In our text for today, Jesus then addressed those who believed in him, testing to see if their faith was genuine.

Taking maybe a little liberty with the story, it was almost as if after holding an altar call, Jesus called all those who had responded to meet with him in one of the Sunday School classrooms for an initial lesson on what it mean to be a believer in Jesus.

(pause)

Unfortunately, by the end of this discipleship lesson, at least some of those people picked up stones to throw at Jesus!

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Why?

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What would cause a person to change from being a seeker to a stone-thrower?

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As we study our text, we find that the change from believer to belligerent came in response to Jesus’ call to discipleship. Indeed…

Big Idea: Jesus’ call to discipleship reveals the authenticity of our faith.

Notice with me, firstly, the difference between the true disciple and the pretender.

1. Authentic discipleship changes our lifestyle, vv. 31, 34.

John 8:31 ESV

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,

John 8:34 ESV

Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.

We understand, of course, that “believing in Jesus” can mean different things to different people. For some people, believing in Jesus means they think he actually existed and was a good man, a good teacher. Some believe in Jesus for miracles; they need solutions to their problems, so they believe in Jesus.

Some believe in Jesus temporarily. While they are in trouble, they come to church, they pray, and they are very spiritual, but when the crisis has passed, it’s a much different story.

Saving faith, however, is much different. Saving faith is putting our trust in Jesus Christ. Saving faith means that we abandon our attempts to be right with God by our own efforts or credentials. Instead, we trust that only Jesus can make us right with God by his death on the cross.

Saving faith is a surrender to the lordship of Christ. We recognize that not only can we not make ourselves right with God, we also cannot live right before God… without the empowering presence of his Holy Spirit.

The person who puts their faith in Christ does not enjoy just a one-time experience; rather, they begin a life with and in and through Christ.

Jesus explains this in more detail later in John’s gospel as he pictured himself as the True Vine, the Father as the vinedresser, and all of us who truly trust in him as branches of his vine.

John 15:4–6 ESV

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 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.

This is what Jesus meant in our text when he said at John 8:31 “…If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples.”

Jesus was saying that we must live in his words, his teachings… and by extension, the entire Word of God - the Bible.

But we must not reduce this concept to “education” or “words on the pages of the Bible.” Jesus’ point is that we live as his disciples in Him!

In contrast, those whose faith or belief is disingenuous practice sin.

(pause)

We need to give some grace here… and use some common sense. There are some habits of sin that Christians may struggle with, even for some time, before finally getting rid of them.

We should not rule out such struggling Christians as reprobate sinners, because God does not do this. Rather, God extends mercy.

(pause)

It is also possible, though not excusable, for Christians to fall into sin from time to time. Again, we should not excommunicate the sincere Christian for falling momentarily into sin, for God does not do this; God forgives.

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But… there is a huge difference between the sincere Christian who falls into sin or is struggling to get rid of sin habits AND the smooth-talking huckster who says they believe in Christ but never truly demonstrates a changed life!

(pause)

The people who believed in Jesus in John 8:30 became irate when Jesus revealed their ongoing practice of disobedience and rebellion against God. They wanted everyone to believe they were spiritual, perfectly without sin, before they even believed in Jesus.

But Jesus told them, “No, the truth is: you are a practitioner of sin. Sinning is your custom. Disobedience and rebellion against God is your lifestyle.”

A small child, sitting in church asked his father, “Dad, what is a Christian?”

The father replied, “A Christian is a person who loves and obeys God. He loves his friends and neighbours, and even his enemies. He prays often, is kind, gentle, and holy, and is more interested in going to heaven than in all earthly riches. That, son, is a Christian!”

The boy looked puzzled and thought for a minute, then asked, “Have I ever seen one?”

“If we are going to be authentic and relevant, we must embrace truth and allow it to transform us at our very core.” John Bevere

“This generation is desperately searching for something authentic. People are always watching us. They are watching us to see if we are the real deal. Without a transformed heart we can never be the light that the world around us so desperately needs. Stop acting and start being!” Joyce Meyer

Stop acting like a Christian, just be one!

From a sermon by Dean Courtier, Don’t act like a Christian just be one!, 11/11/2009

The second distinction between the true disciple and the pretender that we find in our text is…

2. Authentic discipleship changes our perception, vv. 32-34.

Jesus said…

John 8:32 (ESV)

and you will know the truth…

John 8:34 ESV

Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.

Someone has written…

Only through this obedience [of abiding in Christ] will the disciple know the truth. The deepest knowing comes only through doing, a constant theme in this Gospel. This means far more than learning and memorizing concepts which can then be verbalized. The discovery of truth comes in encountering and yielding to the One who is living truth.

Fredrikson, R. L., & Ogilvie, L. J. (1985). John (Vol. 27, p. 156). Thomas Nelson Inc.

Jesus later said, John 14:6

John 14:6 (ESV)

…I am the way, and the truth, and the life…

Jesus is the absolute Truth and only by knowing him, trusting and obeying him, will we be able to perceive truth - spiritual truth about Jesus, about our world, and about ourselves.

Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:4…

2 Corinthians 4:4 ESV

In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Isaiah, the prophet, also wrote: Isaiah 6:10

Isaiah 6:10 ESV

Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”

In John 12:40, the apostle quoted this scripture, but he changed it slightly. Instead of saying “Make the heart of this people dull”, John wrote…

John 12:40 ESV

“He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.”

We see this blindness in those who believed in Jesus at John 8:30 as Jesus told them John 8:32 “…the truth will set you free.”

The people immediately reacted. Spitting and sputtering, they cried…

John 8:33 ESV

They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?”

In saying this, the people willingly refused to accept reality.

It was true that these people were not physically “slaves” to anyone. But they seemed to recognize that Jesus was not talking only about these specific persons, but the whole nation of Israel.

Israel had been enslaved to various nations mutliple times throughout its history. Israel was in slavery to Egypt for 400 years.

Throughout the 305-year period of the Judges, Israel was in bondage from time to time to seven different nations. Later, the northern kingdom of Israel was conquered by Assyria and deported into slavery.

Then, the southern kingdom of Judah was taken captive by Babylon. The Jews continued their bondage under the Persians for a time. Later, Greece exerted power over the Jews.

(pause)

And at this moment when these people proudly spoke, saying as Abraham’s descendants, they had never been enslaved… they suffered under the iron heel of Rome!

(pause)

What an illusion!

(pause)

Yet, consider what commentory notes about the people’s objection…

Jewish teachers generally acknowledged that their people had been subjected under the yoke of at least four kingdoms: Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome. But many teachers believed that these kingdoms were only servants of God, and that he would ultimately break the yokes of the other nations (an extreme form of this belief led to the revolt of a.d. 66–70). They taught that the other nations were ruled by guardian angels and the stars, but that Israel was ruled by God alone.

Keener, C. S. (1993). The IVP Bible background commentary: New Testament (Jn 8:33). InterVarsity Press.

Furthermore…

Philosophers often used “free” to mean free from false ideas or from concern; Judaism spoke of being free from sin. Jewish teachers believed that because Israel had the law, the evil impulse that made the Gentiles so sinful could not enslave them.

Keener, C. S. (1993). The IVP Bible background commentary: New Testament (Jn 8:34). InterVarsity Press.

(pause)

What delusions of grandeur!

(pause)

They weren’t slaves to other peoples because even pagan nations belong to God. And, they weren’t slaves to sin because they possessed a Bible!

(pause)

These objections sound silly, don’t they?

(pause)

But how often do people even today make similar arguments?

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The person addicted to substances says, “I’m not addicted. I can quit any time I want to.” When pressed, they admit they quit maybe 30 times a day.

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This reminds me of a quote by Elizabeth Taylor. She once said…

"I think it's fairly obvious why I was married. As strange as it may sound, I am a very moral woman. I was taught by my parents that if you fall in love, if you want to have a love affair, you get married. I guess I'm very old-fashioned.”

Elizabeth Taylor [was quoted having said this] after seven marriages, five divorces, in the San Francisco Chronicle.

https://bible.org/illustration/right-wrong

In contrast, the true disciple knows the Truth of God. They understand right from wrong. They understand who they are in Christ; they do not live in deception.

The third distinction between the true disciple and the pretender that we find in our text is…

3. Authentic discipleship changes our identity, vv. 32, 35-36.

Jesus said in…

John 8:32 (ESV)

… the truth will set you free.”

In John 8:35-36 Jesus explained a crucial ramification of this principle, saying…

John 8:35–36 ESV

The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

It is right here that Jesus really began to get under the skin of these Jews who had professed their belief in him.

These Jews were proud of their heritage.

(pause)

We should not find fault with them for that. These people were direct descendants of Abraham, the father of our faith.

They were physically descended from Abraham, that great man of God who left his family behind to travel to an unknown land, who believed that God would give him the land of Canaan, even though he only lived in tents and never settled down, who trusted God to make his descendants as numerous than the stars, even though both he and Sarah were long past the age of child-bearing.

(pause)

They were the chosen people of God. They possessed the covenants, the promises, the Law, the Temple, and so much more.

(pause)

But now Jesus had told them they were actually in slavery to sin. But Jesus did not stop there. Jesus then went on to apply that word picture saying that a slave doesn’t stay in the master’s house forever.

One commentator explains this word picture by saying…

The one who continually sins becomes enslaved to sin. And sin is a cruel master indeed. By offering pleasure for a season (Hebrews 11:25), it is initially comfortable to serve in the household of sin. But sooner than later, sin eventually throws everyone out on the street.

Courson, J. (2003). Jon Courson’s Application Commentary (p. 509). Thomas Nelson.

(pause)

Who did Jesus think they were?! Who did he think he was?!

(pause)

The Jews prided themselves in being the children of God, belonging to the household of God. But Jesus pictured them as mere slaves to Sin, who eventually would even cast them out of his house!

(pause)

Is it no wonder that seekers became stone-throwers?

(pause)

But let us not pass by this truth too quickly. Notice that for the true disciple of Jesus, our identity is forever changed.

Paul wrote beautifully of this in his letter to the Church in Ephesus, saying…

Ephesians 2:12–13 ESV

remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Skipping a few verses only for the sake of time, he continued…

Ephesians 2:19–22 ESV

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

As the hymnwriter so beautifully expressed this truth:

I once was an outcast stranger on earth, A sinner by choice and an alien by birth; But I’ve been adopted, my name’s written down, An heir to a mansion, a robe and a crown.

I’m a child of the King, A child of the King, With Jesus my Savior, I’m a child of the King.

[In its December 2006 issue], Decision magazine told the story of Rick and Shawna Pilat, a Winnipeg couple who had recently come to faith in Christ. For Shawna, it started on a Sunday morning in January 2000, when her husband, Rick, had not yet come home from his all-night partying.

As Shawna angrily washed dishes in the kitchen, she noticed a man speaking on the television. She was quickly drawn to his message – he was funny and warm, and seemed to be speaking at her level.

“I felt something come over me that I can’t explain,” she remembers. “I couldn’t quit crying. At the end of the program it said, ‘Join us,’ and it gave the name of a church in Winnipeg.” Shawna says, “I couldn’t get my son dressed fast enough.”

On the way to the church, Shawna had one purpose in mind: getting emotionally strong enough to kick Rick out. She had tried using marijuana, alcohol, and various relationships to put Rick out of her heart. Now she thought she’d found the answer, but God had a surprise for her.

At the end of the message, the pastor invited people to give their lives to Christ. Shawna raised her hand. “I never looked back,” Shawna says. Three weeks later, Rick asked if he could join her at church.

He had seen the change in her life, and he knew that his behavior was hurting his family. He was addicted to drugs and sex, but after four or five weeks of attending church with his wife, he recognized his need for Christ.

Still, the following months were not easy for Rick. He says, “I was going to church and wanting to do right, but I kept doing wrong.” It wasn’t until a Promise Keepers event that Rick finally came to true and genuine faith in Christ.

That day, he turned from his sin and accepted the forgiveness God offers through Jesus Christ. Then he went home and told his wife, “I can be the husband you need me to be now.”

As a result, Rick and Shawna’s lives took a 180-degree turn. They became active in their church, [sharing] the hope of God’s restoration and forgiveness with struggling couples as volunteers with Promise Keepers.

Rick [said], “When I think how Jesus can change people – no matter how deep in sin they are – that overwhelms me. If he did it for us, he can do it for anybody.”

(Source: Adapted, Kristen Burke, “Winnipeg Couple Set Free,” Decision magazine, December 2006, p.13. From a sermon by C. Philip Green, Grace at Home--Part I, 6/11/2011)

(pause)

Our scripture speaks to a key problem we have seen for years. Sometimes, people kneel at an altar, but leave with hearts unchanged. Sometimes, people may attend church, even serve in the church, and be unregenerate and unaware of their true spiritual condition.

Big Idea: Jesus’ call to discipleship reveals the authenticity of our faith.

On that wonderful day that Jesus declared himself the Light of the world, many people believed in him. But Jesus knew there is a big difference between intellectual, temporary belief and saving faith.

So… Jesus challenged these new believers to authentic discipleship. Authentic discipleship changes our lifestyle, our perception, and our identity.

Unfortunately, there were a number of people that day who ultimately turned against Jesus. They believed while believing was safe. They liked to believe Jesus was a good teacher and could work miracles, but they balked at surrender and trusting only in Jesus for life.

Yet, while some turned against Jesus, others followed him faithfully. Their lives were dramatically changed by God’s grace. Their understanding of spiritual realities grew. They lived as disciples of Jesus.

(pause)

We understand that true faith is demonstrated by a changed lifestyle. And, as Jesus taught in our text, that changed lifestyle is a result of abiding in Christ.

(pause)

Our challenge is clear: we must abide in Christ!

How do we abide in Christ? In answer, we can point to spiritual disciplines, such as reading your Bible regularly, prayer, attending worship services with other believers, study of God’s Word, meditation, memorization of scripture, serving others in Christ’s name, and more.

But the key to abiding in Christ is to live… day by day, moment by moment… in and through Christ.

Abiding in Christ is a life of trusting Jesus - rejecting sin, rejecting Self, rejecting our own wisdom, rejecting our own power - and relying on the Holy Spirit - for wisdom, for guidance, for strength, for life.

(pause)

This is what the world system of sin tries to discourage and distract us from every day.

The world teaches impatience, instead of quietly relying on Christ.

The world teaches self-reliance instead of vital trust.

The world teaches the pursuit of knowledge will give us the answer, instead of looking to Jesus as the Answer.

(pause)

So our challenge is this: to live “in” Christ. Let us abide in Christ, day by day, moment by moment, living as authentic disciples of Jesus Christ!