John 8, Part 4
Notes
Transcript
This passage shatters man’s concept of himself. Nevertheless, it is a passage that must be studied very carefully, for it is one of the shocking truths revealed by Christ. Man’s destiny hangs upon what He revealed.
Man is a sinner and short of God’s glory. Man sins because he is depraved, that is, born illegitimately. Depravity means that a man is always short of God’s glory, and is always coming short of God, and is always failing to measure up to God. Very simply, man is not holy as God is holy; man is not perfect as God is perfect. Why? Because man is born with an illegitimate, sinful, and depraved nature. Man is born with a nature that sins, ages, deteriorates, dies, and decays—a nature that is imperfect and as radically different from God’s perfect nature as it can be.
41 You are doing the works your father did.” They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father—even God.”
Man sins by doing the deeds of and following after a father other than God.
⇒ Sin is not of God.
⇒ Evil deeds are not of the Father in heaven.
⇒ Therefore, they must be of another father.
A man who sins and does evil is following another father, an illegitimate father. Sinful man …
• reveals a depraved nature, a nature that cannot keep from sinning no matter how hard it tries. (See notes—Ro. 3:9–20; 3:9.)
• reveals a nature of some father who stands diametrically opposed to the Father in heaven
Sin and evil are due to the nature of a spiritual father (the devil). Man sins because he is in the family likeness of that father (by nature). However, man denies the fact. The Pharisees, the strongest religionists who have ever lived (representing all mankind), knew exactly what Jesus was saying. They knew that Jesus was speaking spiritually and that He was charging them …
• with being sinful and depraved, always coming short
• with following some father other than the Father of heaven
The Jewish religionists (as most men) denied that they had an idolatrous father. In their minds God was their Father and they were children of God, and there was no question about it. They claimed that …
• they believed in and professed the God of the Bible
• they worshipped the true God
• they followed the true God
• they did enough good to be accepted by God
• they had not done enough evil deeds to be rejected by God
• they had done the best they could to please God
• they had enough righteousness to be acceptable to God
• they had enough godly heritage (parents, family, friends, works) to be accepted by God
The tragic fact is this: the vast majority of people make the very same claim, refusing to accept the truth. However, their claim is a false profession. What Christ was doing was trying to get men to see the truth. Men desperately need to turn away from their evil deeds to God, to genuinely believe and diligently seek God
42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me.
43 Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word.
The first proof of man’s depravity is that man does not love Jesus. Picture the scene. God sent His Son into the world and man …
• does not recognize Him
• does not recognize His words
• does not recognize His works
If man were of God, that is, of the same spiritual world and dimension as Jesus, he would recognize Jesus and recognize His words and works. It would be impossible not to recognize Him. This is what Jesus was saying. He “proceedeth forth and came from God,” that is, from the spiritual world and dimension of heaven itself. Any man who is of God is bound to recognize Him. Any man who is truly of God will love and welcome Him, not reject and oppose Him. The man who wants nothing to do with Jesus is not of the family of God; he is not a child of God. He is a child of some father other than the Father of Jesus.
Note another fact: no man could possibly be of God …
• who does not understand the speech (teaching) of Christ
• who does not hear the word of Christ (open his heart to it)
A man who has the same Father as Jesus Christ will understand His teaching, and hear His Word and open his heart to what Christ teaches. When a man shuts his heart to the teaching of Christ, that man shows that he has a father other than Christ’s Father.
44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
The second proof of man’s depravity is that man shows that his father is the devil. It is man’s works that reveal his true father. Man objects and denies this fact rather strongly, sometimes angrily. Many think the idea is repulsive and horrible, a terrible thing to say. And it is. This is just what Jesus wants man to recognize. The fact has to be faced; it has to be felt so repulsive and horrible that a man will do something about it. It is shocking for some persons to hear that Jesus even said such a thing.
The point is this: man’s sinful behavior and evil works prove that his father is not the Father of Jesus. Sinful behavior and evil deeds are not of the Father in heaven; they are of the father in hell. The sins and evil mentioned by Jesus show this.
a. Satan and men lust.
b. Satan and men murder. Satan is a murderer in three senses.
1) He was behind the first murder: Cain’s killing his brother Abel.
2) He was behind the sin of Adam, which brought death to the whole human race. He is the murderer, the one who caused the death of men.
3) He is behind the murder of human life and behind the loss of man’s experiencing real life here on earth. The devil destroys life and all abundant living when he can: all love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, discipline.
Jesus was saying that one thing is certain: God is not the father of murder—the devil is. They who commit murder are children of the devil. But note the real meaning of murder revealed by Jesus. Murder is …
• anger
• bitterness
• enmity
• an uncontrolled spirit
• desiring a person’s ruin
• striking out at a person
• slandering, maligning, speaking ill about a person and destroying a person’s image (who is created in God’s image)
• envying and killing a person’s happiness
c. Satan and men abide not in the truth. Both reject the truth.
d. Satan and men lie and deceive. It is their nature to lie and to protect and to look after themselves. This is the meaning of the phrase, “he speaketh of his own”; that is, he is at ease and comfortable in lying. It is man’s nature to lie; he lies out of his own being. This hurts the pride of man, but it is his nature …
• to look after himself even if he has to lie (cheat, steal, maneuver, whatever) to get
• to protect himself by misleading, deceiving, and twisting the truth
45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me.
46 Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me?
47 Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.”
The third proof of man’s depravity is the sinlessness of Jesus. Jesus made the most staggering claim: no man could prove Him to be a sinner. No person could prove a single sin in Him. He was sinless and perfect. He was in the closest imaginable relationship with God, of the very same nature as God: sinless, holy, righteous, pure—perfectly so. Jesus claimed to be the Perfect Man.
Note the all important question: Since He was sinless, why do men not believe Him? He was telling the truth. Therefore, men should believe Him. Jesus answered His own question.
⇒ He that is “of God” hears God’s Words.
⇒ He that is “not of God” does not hear God’s Words. The person who is not of God does not hear and believe because he is not a child of God. He is a child of the father of lies, the devil.
48 The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying 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 Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge.
This is an astonishing claim—a person does not have to die. We can all escape death.
The religionists cast a harsh insult against Jesus. They called Him a Samaritan and accused Him of being demon-possessed.
Jesus answered the charges, but said absolutely nothing about their racial slur. (A racial slur was not worthy of comment by Him.) But He strongly denied their charge that He was demon-possessed. He knew exactly what He was saying and doing. He was not insane. He was perfectly conscious of His actions. Note that Jesus made three claims.
a. Jesus claimed that His very purpose was to honor God. There was not an evil spirit within Him setting out to destroy man and the worship of God. Contrariwise, His very purpose was to honor God and to turn men to God. Note: He called God “My Father.”
b. Jesus claimed that man was the one who did evil to God. While Jesus honored God, man (in particular false religionists) tried to dishonor Jesus. In dishonoring Jesus, they were dishonoring God. It was the love of God that had sent Him into the world to offer salvation (v.31–32). The real demon-possession or spirit of evil was seen in those who dishonored Him while He offered God’s salvation to men.
c. Jesus did not seek His own glory; contrariwise, He sought to glorify God by leading men to God. However …
• there was One who sought the glory of Jesus, that is, God Himself
• God will judge those who truly glorified Christ. He will reveal what Christ did to glorify God and what religionists did to dishonor God. One (Christ) shall be proven and accepted, and the other (religionists) disproven and condemned
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, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.’
53 Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?”
There is the great revelation and promise—a person can escape death. (See DEEPER STUDY # 1, Death—Jn. 8:51 for discussion.)
Note the reaction to Jesus’ phenomenal claim: man thought Jesus must be under a demon’s spell, that he was mad and insane. He was bound to be demon-possessed, for every one knows that man dies. Even the godliest men such as Abraham and the prophets died. Who did Jesus think He was? Did He think He was greater than Abraham and the prophets? Who was He claiming to be?
this is one of the great promises of Scripture. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death” (v.51).
1. Note the eye-catching words “verily, verily.” What is said is of critical importance: “Listen—listen.”
2. Note how the sentence really stresses the glorious truth.
⇒ The word “death” is emphatic in the Greek: it begins the sentence. “Death in no wise will he ever see.”
⇒ There is a double negative used (ou me): “Death in no wise, and by no means will he ever see.”
3. Note the phrases see death (theorese thanaton) and taste death (geusetai thanatou, v.52). The meaning is that a genuine follower of Christ will …
• never experience death nor see death
• never know death nor partake of death
• never face the condemnation of death
• never experience the terror, the hurt, the pain, and the suffering of death; never experience the anguish of being separated from God and from the glory, beauty, perfection, and life of heaven
In a flash, quicker than lightning or the blinking of an eye, the follower of Christ passes from this world into the next. He never ceases to experience life and never loses consciousness. One moment he is in this world, the next moment he is in the presence of God Himself.
Note the reason why the believer shall never see death (v.51) or taste death (v.52): it is because Jesus came “by the grace of God [to] taste death for every man” (He. 2:9).
4. Note: there is a condition for escaping death: “If a man keep my saying” (logon, word). A person must keep the Word of Christ to escape death. The word “keep” (terese) means to watch over, to keep, to obey with diligence. It means to fix and set one’s heart upon the Word of Christ and keep it with all diligence. If a man is persistent in obeying Christ, he will never see death. (See note—Jn. 8:31 for discussion and verses of Scripture. See DEEPER STUDY # 1, Death—He. 9:27.)
5. Note the glorious truth of this claim.
Man Does … But the Follower of Christ …
• pass through physical death • never sees death
• have his body decay • never tastes death
• face the judgment of God • lives now and forever
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 But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word.
56 Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. 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, I am.”
59 So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.
There is the great authority of Jesus to make such a glorious promise. He made four unique claims.
a. Jesus claimed that He was honored by God. He was not out to honor Himself. If He sought His own honor, His honor would amount to nothing. When a man is seen honoring and praising himself, it is considered false honor. Self-honor is discounted and considered distasteful and usually turns people away. It certainly does not attract people.
However, there is One who does honor Christ: His Father honors Him.
b. Jesus claimed that He personally knew God and obeyed God’s Word. He had a unique and very special knowledge of God. Jesus knew God as no one else had ever known Him.
c. Jesus claimed that He was the One that Abraham hoped for and actually saw. Abraham held a unique position in the Jewish nation, for he was the founder of the nation. He was the man whom God had challenged to be a witness to the other nations of the world—a witness to the only true and living God. Therefore, God had appeared to Abraham and challenged him to leave his home, his friends, his employment, and his country. If Abraham would follow God unquestionably, God made one great promise: Abraham would become the father of a new nation and of a great host of people, and God would cause all nations to be blessed by his seed
Scripture says that Abraham did as God requested. He went out not knowing where he went. He completely and unquestionably trusted God and took God at His word. The point is this: Abraham rejoiced to see the Messiah’s day, the day when the promised Seed was sent into the world.
1) When Abraham was on earth he saw the Messiah’s day by faith. He was hopeful and he rejoiced as much as any Old Testament saint.
2) When Jesus was born, Abraham was alive in heaven, living in the very presence of God Himself. He saw the Messiah’s coming to earth and rejoiced with all of heaven. Salvation, the vindication of faith, was now to be secured by the Son of God Himself.
Note that the Jews misinterpreted Jesus’ words. Men usually do. They saw Jesus as a mere man, a man who lived upon earth only for a few years. How could He possibly see Abraham, a man who had died hundreds and hundreds of years before?
d. Jesus claimed that He was the great “I Am.”
There are several “I Am’s” claimed by Christ.
⇒ I Am the Messiah (Jn. 4:26).
⇒ I Am (It is I); be not afraid (Jn. 6:20).
⇒ I Am the Bread of Life (Jn. 6:35).
⇒ I Am from Above (Jn. 8:23).
⇒ I Am the Light of the World (Jn. 8:12; 9:5; 12:46).
⇒ I Am before Abraham was, I am (eternal) (Jn. 8:58).
⇒ I Am the Door (Jn. 10:7).
⇒ I Am the Good Shepherd (Jn. 10:14).
⇒ I Am the Son of God (Jn. 10:36).
⇒ I Am the Resurrection and Life (Jn. 11:25).
⇒ I Am the Lord and Master (Jn. 13:13).
⇒ I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life (Jn. 14:6).
⇒ I Am the True Vine (Jn. 15:1).
⇒ I Am Alpha and Omega (Re. 1:8).
⇒ I Am the First and the Last (Re. 1:17).
This was the climactic claim—the claim …
• to be preexistent, always existing, to have been living when Abraham was born (Greek aorist tense, “came into being”)
• to be above and beyond time
• to be eternal
The point is striking. Jesus was there when Abraham was born. He is God Himself, the great “I Am” standing upon earth and in a human body. Why? Note the question is not how. God can do anything, even stand upon earth in a human body if He wills. Therefore, the question is never how, but why. Why would God come to earth as a Man? The answer is clearly stated: to bring the message of God to the world, the glorious gospel.
However, note the reaction of men to God’s presence. They rejected and opposed Him and tried to get rid of Him. They wanted nothing to do with Him, lest His claims lay hold of their lives and they be forced to change the way they lived.
Leadership Ministries Worldwide. 2004. The Gospel according to John. The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible. Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide.
