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Scripture
Introduction
For the introduction, I wanted to answer the question that one might have concerning the beginning part of verse 31 where it says, “So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him.”
Abiding in Christ
The question being “What did the Jews believe?”
Mainly, what I see Jesus telling them about Himself is that He was sent by the Father.
In verse 26 Jesus said,
Here we see that one of the things they believed was that Jesus was sent and that the One who sent Him (the Father) is true.
Jesus consistently spoke of being sent by the Father
, , , , , , , , , , , , , , all spoke of Jesus being sent by the Father
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Why is this important?
This is important because it gives us the details to the question found in verse 25 of chapter 8.
What He had been telling them from the beginning is that He was sent by the Father who is true.
You see, Jesus was not just a man.
He was a man who was born of a virgin.
God in the flesh who appeared as the Messiah promised which He consistently spoke of when telling them that He was sent by the Father.
This along with other things that Jesus said concerning Himself is what they believed in our text today.
The question before us today is “do we truly believe that Jesus was sent by the Father who is true?”
The answer to this question determines whether we are free or in bondage.
It answers whether we are blind or not.
As we have covered already going through this Gospel, one can ascent to right information about God but not have faith in God.
One who only has an ascent to right information about God is no different than demons who can also believe that God is.
So an ascent of God being true does not mean that one has attained genuine faith.
Jesus again, begins to reveal what believing actually means.
There is a reality that is exposed in our passage today.
The reality being that there are those who are free and those who are slaves.
Outline
1.
The free (v.31-32)
2. The blind (v.33)
3. The slave (v.34-38)
1.
The free (v.31-32)
Verse 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Jesus in verse 31 spoke specifically to those who believed.
Notice that the writer was specific as to who Jesus was speaking this too.
Jesus continued to say to them in verse 31,
“If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples.”
To abide here meant to persist for a specified period of time.
It meant to endure or dwell for an extended period of time.
Some words that can help us to understand what abide meant are:
a stay: 85.55
b wait for: 85.60
c continue to exist: 13.89
d keep on: 68.11
a. stay in
b wait for
b. wait for
c. continuing to exist in
d. keeping on
e. to persist in
f. endure in
g. dwell in
It was Jesus telling them that if you persisted, endured or dwelled in His word, you are truly His disciples.
One of the things we shouldn’t do in this passage today is to read this as a condition.
Meaning that the “if” is setting forth a condition that lays upon us the responsibility to abide.
- If you abide in my word (meaning that abiding in His word will show that)...
- you are truly my disciples (meaning that being a disciple shows that you have abided in His word).
This is descriptive not prescriptive.
Meaning that if someone abides in His word, they are truly His disciple.
It proves that one is a disciple.
It doesn’t make one into a believer but it shows that one is a believer.
If they abide (or remain) in His word.
Jesus is describing what a true disciple looks like.
This is further proven in the fact that He was specifically speaking to those who have already believed.
Those who remain in His word prove that they are truly His disciples.
This is a description of a disciple who has already believed.
It is not a prescription on how to become a disciple.
In fact, it would not apply to those who did not abide.
Our remaining in Him is dependent not on our obedience to His word but upon His obedience which is what brings to us the faith necessary to believe.
If we remain in His word we will prove to be His disciples.
Our being true disciples would be proven by our remaining in Him.
Which solely depends on grace not performance.
We cannot abide in Him on the condition of our obedience.
Jesus spoke of this in .
So how does one come to abiding in Christ?
to endure (persist) v. — to persist for a specified period of time.
Jesus answers this in .
Being made a disciple comes from faith in Christ being sent by the Father who is true.
And it comes because He has chosen us to bear fruit.
The fruit that proves that we are truly His disciples.
Why make this a point?
This is a very crucial point because our obedience without faith in the truth of election will default to a performance of faith that is void of dependency upon His completed work.
When one comes to faith they (verse 32),
If someone remains in His word they will prove that they are truly His disciples.
And His disciples are those who:
Know the truth
And the truth has set them free
What truth is Jesus speaking of here?
The truth He is speaking of here is the truth of being sent by the Father which is what He had been saying about Himself from the beginning.
Verse 32 also shows us who is not free.
Those who do not abide in His word are not free.
They are slaves and not disciples.
They do not know the truth.
And because they do not know the truth of Jesus Christ being sent by the Father, they are not free.
So a question follows: What are they slaves to?
Verse 33 begins for us to answer this question where it shows us who is blind to this truth.
2. The blind (v.33)
John 8:33
First thing I wanted to point out is that not only were there people there who believed, but there were crowds of people there.
According to , they were divided as to who Jesus was.
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