Graduation CCS

Jesus hears their Profession

Here we see the response of the people, as a result of his speaking, many came to believe. What did they come to believe? They came to believe in what Jesus was speaking. That he and the father are one. Essentially that He is God. This isn’t a small profession they are making. By coming to believe in Him, they are acknowledging that Jesus is God, that they are dependent upon him for life, that he is worthy of belief. Jesus, Himself is the Gospel preacher. After He gets through speaking, it ays many came to believe in Him. And here we see in verse 30 that our tendency would be to celebrate. Many respond by saying they believe in him. We say “Praise God, They all believed in him!” What a successful event. We can all go home now. But Jesus blows our theology out of the water. Our/My tendency is to think that the work in done here. The invitation is over. But Jesus knows the true hearts of the people that responded. Imagine this for a moment. Lets say we had an evangelistic event in our community. We have set the stage, and had an awesome time of worship, and imagine this large crowd of people gathered around the stage sitting in chair listening to a Gospel presentation proclaiming Jesus to be God. At the end of the service, droves of people flock to the altar to receive Christ as Lord. My tendency and if you are honest, your tendency is to celebrate. Praise God for all the souls saved! I would want to affirm their faith and get them signed up for baptism. Lets write an article about it and tell everyone about all the souls saved.

Jesus challenges the sincerity

Then we look at -31Jesus is the same type of scenario, having many come to believe in Him, stops them and says “If you continue in my Word, then you are truly disciples of Mine.” He says to THEM. “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine.” This is a conditional statement. The condition:Continuing in the Word. Abiding in the Word.

​The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition Chapter 8μείνητε

This word can be translated in many ways and they all carry the same meaning. There are many words in the Greek that can have multiple meaning. This isn’t one of them. This word here means:remain, stay, reside, endure, abide, continue, steadfastness. We have many people in churches all across America who have made a commitment and made a decision but there is no habitual, continual connection to the Words of Christ. We have people....who have flooded the altar, filled the pews, filled the baptistry, but they have not been filled by the Holy Spirit.Jesus pumps the brakes on these people. In other words, Jesus is not looking for a one time profession, but a continual obsession. Consistency in the WORDIf Jesus’s word has no affect on your life after you make a profession, then you probably are not a disciple of Christ. "Some people are going to go to hell with a chest full of Sunday school attendance pins who have never received the Lord Jesus Christ. They have religion, but they don't have righteousness. They have culture, but they don't have Christ." — Adrian RogersJesus applies a condition for those who are his followers. This same condition applies today. Are you abiding? Am I abiding? Then you are truly following Christ. We can apply the oppite. If you arent, then your arent. You are truly a disciple when you embody what it means to be a disciple. That is your track record is one of following Christ. Here we see that a determining factor in the life of the believer that they are following christ, but it means they actually follow Christ. Not about a one time profession, it is about a life long commitment. These verses combat against the person compared to rocky soil in the parable of the sower.

​ NASB95“The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away.

We can’t call those people disciples. Disciple means follower of Christ. Not one who simply claimed Christ one time. Someone who is abiding in the Word, and thriving and living off the Word will not be moved or changed when he experiences hardships because of it. Dr. Junior Hill was once asked how many people were saved at his recent evangelistic event. He responded, “Time will Tell.”Jesus essentially says, “Time will tell.”Those true disciples of Jesus then have a promise.

​ NASB95and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

the promise is conditional. Abiding in the Word brings salvation truth. What type of truth is getting at? (Overused in movies)Truth here is the truth that sets us free from sin and that truth is the truth of the Gospel. Salvation is not found any where else other than the words of Christ. look at the progression here in verse 32. The benefit of abiding in the truth is knowing that truth. The benefit of knowing the truth is being freed by the truth. This is a genuine benefit for those in Christ. Genuine benefits for genuine believers. Freedom from the final curse of sin, but also freedom from the current bondage of sin. says we have died to sin. This is what Jesus is promising. Not only will I give you eternal life, but I give you life now. There are benefits now, to believing in Christ.we can be free, but we must first see our selves as slaves. But these men do not see themselves as slaves.

​ NASB95They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, ‘You will become free’?”

The Jews had been enslaved by seven mighty nations, as recorded in the Book of Judges. The ten Northern tribes had been carried away captive by Assyria, and the two Southern tribes had gone into seventy years of captivity in Babylon. At that moment they are currently under Roman oppression and slavery. So they are not only blind to their spiritual need to be freed, but they are blind to their political need for freedom. The issue here is they have gotten comfortable under the rule and reign of Ceaser. He let them rule themselves for the most part, so long as their religion and rulers did not revolt against them. The same the hardest people to set free are those who are spiritually blind to their own chains.

Jesus reveals their true Heart

Jesus reveals that their true problem and true slavery is their slavery to sin. Sin chains us up. Sins binds us up.Jesus uses the analogy of the house and the slaves and the son. The son has certain privileges. The slaves are simply in the house. Though these men claim to be in the house(We are Abe’s descendants), they are actually slaves to sin. But becasue of their sins, They have no claim and no rights upon the Father’s blessings. They have no rights to the eternal home. That only comes through the Son. As Jesus just said, True freedom comes from abiding in the Word of the Son.

​ NASB95“So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.

These people are not abiding in the Word. They hate the Word. Jesus acknowledges what they say, “We are Believing.”Jesus acknowledges who they are, “We are Abraham’s descendants.” But again, The Word has no place in them. In fact, these same men who believed in verse 30, are the very ones who are picking up stones to kill Jesus in verse 59. The determining factor in the life of the person saying that they are believing in Christ is continuing in the word.

​ NASB95For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.

Are you abiding? Believing and trusting in Christ for salvation is a one time thing, but the witness of Scripture tells us that those who are truly his are abiding in His word. The same condition applies today.,Believers: ABIDE IN THE WORD CONTINUE. What active steps are you taking to continue in the Word of God? Unbelievers: Trust in Christ for salvation, and abide in the Word.