Paternity, NOT Pedigree | John 8:37-47
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Transcript
Metaoutline
Intro
What the problem is; our contemporary cultural context: Here’s what we face.
Early Points
What the Bible says; the original readers’ cultural context: Here’s what we must do.
Middle Points
What prevents us; current listeners’ inward heart context: Why we can’t do it.
Late Points
How Jesus fulfills the biblical theme and solves the heart issue: How Jesus did it.
Application
How through faith in Jesus you should live now.
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[Kid’s Time]
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[Intro]
36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. 37 I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. 38 I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.”
39 They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, 40 but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. 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.” 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. 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. 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.”
[Pray]
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Pedigree: the recorded ancestry of a person or family
Paternity: the state of being someone’s father; Fatherhood, fathership
(1) Jesus desires to free us to remain in His Father’s house as His children
(2) Our actions and desires display our true Paternity, not pedigree
(3) Our Paternity = who we believe and submit to
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(1) Jesus desires to free us to remain in His Father’s house as His children
This is a major theme of the OT
Abrahamic Covenant — Through the family of Abraham, all the nations would be blessed
1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
The Deep Discipleship Program we are undertaking summarizes this nicely:
Presence, People, Place, Purpose
Jesus speaks directly to the heart of these opponents:
37 I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. 38 I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.”
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(2) Our actions and desires display our true Paternity
The reaction of the Jews,
39 They answered him, “Abraham is our father.”
[Illustration]
I remember starting in my family owned homecare company. I walked with my matriarch mother through her “queendom”, all the employees perking up and putting on their nicest smiles.
It took a bit as an acting employee before people treated me normally… But even then, I would still not mention “Heather is my mom” because people would treat me differently when they learned that!
The Jews have no problem with nepotism
>> They instantly pull out the “Abraham is our father” card, like, Jesus will finally back off if He knew this!
But Jesus doubles down.
39 They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, 40 but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. 41 You are doing the works your father did.”
Let’s break this down:
What are their actions and desires?
>> Seeking to kill Jesus,
>> seeking to silence “the truth heard from God”
Next, they double down:
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.”
One reason they mention being born of sexual immorality is they may have been making a jab at Jesus’ pedigree. He’s not Joseph’s son… so, whose is He?
>> AND they claim God as their Father
But all the while, they are claiming pedigree to define their Paternity
How does Jesus respond?
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.
Let’s pause again, and ask,
What are their actions and desires?
>> Seeking to kill Jesus
>> Seeking to silence “the truth heard from God”
>> Lack of love for God’s sent one (apostolos) or apostle (Hebrews 3:1-2)
>> Lack of understanding and forbearance for Jesus’ word
Abraham’s NOT their father...
God is NOT their father...
who?
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.
Remember our point?
**Our actions and desires display our true Paternity**
What are the devil’s actions and desires?
>> Seeking to kill Jesus
>> Seeking to silence “the truth heard from God”
>> Lack of love for God’s sent one (apostolos) or apostle (Hebrews 3:1-2)
>> Lack of understanding and forbearance for Jesus’ word
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?
The children of God will so love the truth that they will believe in Jesus; the children of the devil will be so characterized by lies that they will not be able to accept the truth, precisely because it is the truth.
— D. A. Carson
Jesus ends this segment with a clear diagnosis:
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.”
>> Talk about “not pulling punches”…
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(3) Our Paternity = who we believe and submit to
Let’s read this both ways (READ AGAIN, BACKWARDS)
Why does Paternity matter?
(a) Your desires = Your father’s desires
(b) Your guidance = Your father’s words
(c) Your eternity = Your father’s house
(d) Your eternity = Your father’s house
>>>
(a) Your desires = Your father’s desires
44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires.
3 And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. 4 His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it.
and
8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
how we look like our father the devil:
13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.
But see how Jesus sought the desires of His Father, praying:
9 Pray then like this:
“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
10 Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Jesus prays thus in the Garden of Gethsemane:
39 And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”
Our Paternity = who we believe and submit to
>>>
(b) Your guidance = Your father’s words
[Illustration]
There’s a song that’s chorus says “Fear he is a liar, He will take your breath, Stop you in your steps...”
>> Not to dog on the song to much… I mean, to say “Satan He is a liar” may be more accurate but it’s far less catchy and acceptable to the public…
But
What Jesus tells us clearly here, is we follow the guidance and words of our father
One who is guided by the devil will be deceived by his lies
One who is guided by God will believe His Word
[Illustration]
My kids will sometime act afraid or say things like, “I don’t think you love me”…
>> Our response has been, “Is that true? Or a lie?”
We have to become well acquainted with the words of God to refute the lies of our false father
Jesus is tempted in the wilderness before His ministry, He combat’s the devil’s temptations
>> With the Word of God!
Our Paternity = who we believe and submit to
>>>
(c) Your triumph over sin = Your father’s armament
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.
13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.
>> The devil is disarmed… He cannot triumph over the one who was triumphant
But
If we enter the battleground of sanctified living naked and disarmed of the Word of God ourselves,
>> we will surely fall in our battle against sin
[READ Ask Pastor John]
If the Lord is your Father, and He arms you against the battle with sin, you WILL be triumphant
>> CLING to the Cross! It is HIS blood, HIS cross on our behalf, HIS triumph over the enemies of God:
10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. 11 And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.
Our Paternity = who we believe and submit to
>>>
(d) Your eternity = Your father’s house
We know from last week that Jesus prepares a place for us, His Father’s house
A place, too, is prepared for the devil and his “children”:
Revelation 20:10
10 and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
Our Paternity = who we believe and submit to
We need to be incredibly, violently honest with ourselves...
>> Who we believe and submit to TELLS US our Paternity
>> Our actions and desires TELLS US our Paternity
>> Jesus desires to CHANGE our Paternity, to be sons and daughters of the one true Father in Heaven
How do you look like the “Father below”, as Screwtape calls him?
How do you look like our Father Above?
[Illustration]
Was reading the awesome book on man hood… READ LAST PARAGRAPH
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[Welcome Worship Team Up]
Do Not Be deceived!
Check your desires, your actions, your submission as this will tell you
>> to Which Father you belong
Give thanks to God that He has given us the Way to be children of God!
[Pray]
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[Communion]
1 Corinthians 11:23–26
“23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”
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Sermon Prep Outline
Sermon Prep Outline
STEP 1: DISCERN THE GOAL OF THE TEXT
STEP 1: DISCERN THE GOAL OF THE TEXT
Round One — First Reading
Read the English text at least twice
Begin writing a running commentary
Your Text:
John 8:37–47
37 I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you.
“offspring” is used, pointing to the technical lineage of their ancestry. The “Yet” is used like a “but” — Doing away with the former to make the striking point of the latter (“You’re Abraham’s family, but, you want to kill me because my word isn’t being abided in as it should…”). See John 8:31-32
38 I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.”
Is there significance to Seeing vs hearing?… either point toward their respective fathers.
39 They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did,
Again they point to Abraham (see John 8:33) as their father, as if that is prescriptive of their righteousness. Jesus addresses this head on.
Jesus applies the same standard He has applied between Himself and His own Father (see John 5:19,24, John 7:16-18, John 8:19, 26-29). The son emulates the works of his father.
40 but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did.
“but” again! Instead of doing the works of Abraham… you are seeking to kill Jesus (see again Jn. 8:37).
Jesus also states He “hears the truth that’s heard from God”.
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.”
Jesus is putting the equation together for them… Works = father’s works, and your works are NOT = Abraham’s works, Abraham is not your father… Someone else is, at it is his works you do.
This may be a dig on Jesus, as He is claimed not to be Joseph’s son… a Bastard. AND they claim God as their Father! Boy, the irony is rich.
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.
That conditional word, “if”. Jesus doesn’t pull back. They HAVE to see that God is NOT their Father. They cannot accept Jesus, the one sent from God the Father.
43 Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word.
A rhetorical question which He answers. He continues the explanation below.
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 cat is out of the bag, here. “Devil” (diabolos) means “slanderer/accuser/defamer”. Jesus spells this out, (1) naming their father, (2) naming their desires as echoes of their father’s desires, and (3) expounding on who the Devil is.
The Devil is called a “murderer”/ “man-killer”, since the “beginning”. This, of course, refers to his deceptive and evil work in the garden (Gen. 3). The Devil has no truth to stand on or truth within him. Hence, when he lies (which he inevitably will), it is a reflection of his character, earning him the dishonorable title of “liar and father of lies”.
45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me.
“but”… Jesus tells the truth, and since they are of this “father of lies”, they do not believe Jesus.
46 Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me?
With this accusation ringing, Jesus asks those who convict Him of sin to be identified (similar picture to John 8:7).
And, to self reflect: IF Jesus tells the truth… why do you not believe Him? This is the same thing WE have to reflect on...
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.”
Jesus finishes with a binary statement. Those of God hear the words of God… You do not hear the words of God, because, you are not of God...
Note anything that strikes you or raises a question:
Notes:
>> John 8:38, Is there significance to hearing vs seeing?
>> John 8:41, Why do they switch gears and name God as their Father? Are they seeking to justify themselves? Doubling down?
Round Two — Second Reading (Look for 3 categories)
Repetitions (words, ideas, grammatical forms):
Notes:
truth/lies
father/of ___
Connector words (therefore, because, for, since, if, then):
But (de)
Yet (alla)
Because (hoti)
and (kai)
if (ei)
Notes:
Metaphors or images:
Notes:
A son emulating/doing/desiring what his father does/says/wills
For each one ask:
Why did the author use this?
This is relateable to ALL of us. We ALL emulate our fathers. We are ALL shaped by them. We are created in the image of our fathers.
What was he conveying?
What we do and how we think are directly influenced by those we think are important… Namely, our fathers.
How would the meaning change if this weren't here?
Our parents are our roots. “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree” rings true hear. If we can’t recognize our origin story, we can’t live into God’s redemptive story.
Round Three — Original Language & Commentaries
Determine the meaning of each significant word:
Notes:
Truth >> (alethiea): used 25/100+ times in Gospel of John…
Words >> (logos): information, used for the Word in John 1
father >> (pater): 136/413 times in John, 20x times in ch. 8; (Hebrew father): 218/1039 times in Genesis
Check for repetition masked by English translation:
Notes:
Use commentaries to answer puzzling things:
Notes:
>> John 8:38, Is there significance to hearing vs seeing?
Calvin — “He says that he speaks, and they do, because he discharged the office of a teacher, while they labored strenuously to extinguish his doctrine.”
>> John 8:41, Why do they switch gears and name God as their Father? Are they seeking to justify themselves? Doubling down?
Carson — In any case, if Jesus will not allow them Abraham as their father, surely he cannot
deny them God. Had not the LORD himself declared, 'Israel is my firstborn son' (Ex.
4:22), and 'I am Israel's father' (Je. 31:9; cf. Dt. 14:1-2)? In one sense, this is, for the
Jews in this context, both a proud claim and the ultimate defiance: there is no turning
back in the debate at this point. That the Evangelist records it may be in part his own
wry way of referring to the unique origins of Jesus.
The children of God will so love the truth that they will believe in Jesus; the children of the devil will be so characterized by lies that they will not be able to accept the truth, precisely because it is the truth.
— D. A. Carson
Examine images and their use elsewhere in Scripture:
Notes:
Genesis 21:9-10
Galatians 4:21-31
Romans 9:7
Look for allusions/quotes from other parts of the Bible:
Notes:
Round Four — Context Questions
Within the book:
How does this passage fit with the rest of the book?
What is the message of the whole book?
How does this passage contribute to it?
Why is it here?
How would the book be diminished without it?
Notes:
Within the whole Bible:
What doctrines does this text touch on?
What themes run through the whole canon?
How do the biblical themes in this text point to or find fulfillment in Christ?
Notes:
Goal Question (choose one or write your own):
(Motyer)"What is the one thing that all the other things are about?"
(Robinson)"Subject: what is this talking about? Complement: what is it saying about that?"
"What did the author want his original listeners to learn, feel, and/or do?"
Your answer (1–2 sentences — the "freshly-squeezed essence" of the passage):
Our actions and desires display our true paternity. Our Paternity is a matter of Spirit, not flesh, and Jesus desires to free us to remain in His Father’s house as a son.
Passage title:
Prescriptive Paternity
Section titles (if longer passage):
STEP 2: CHOOSE YOUR THEME FOR THE SERMON
STEP 2: CHOOSE YOUR THEME FOR THE SERMON
What central idea of the text do you want to present?
How does this address your specific listeners?
Sermon Theme Statement:
STEP 3: DEVELOP YOUR OUTLINE
STEP 3: DEVELOP YOUR OUTLINE
Theme fits the passage ✓
Each point raises insights from the text ✓
Movement toward a climax ✓
Point 1:
Point 2:
Point 3:
(Add points as needed)
STEP 4: FLESH OUT EACH POINT
STEP 4: FLESH OUT EACH POINT
For each point, gather:
Element
Arguments
Illustrations
Examples
Images
Supporting Bible texts
Practical
Application
"The goal is not just to explain the text but to minister to your specific listeners."— Timothy Keller
