Family Reflections

Testing for Paternity

Opening illustration: Commercial about how new home buyers turn into their parents….

All of us have probably said at one point in time.... “I’m not going to be like my parents”. While it might be our desire to grow up to be our own people.... have our own identity… there are certain things that tie us to our parents.... There are some ways that we will be just like our parents. As children… we reflect the one’s who birthed us.... Some of us look just like our parents… some of us have things about us that are similar to our parents.

Like it or not.... the way you look, act, and even aspects of your character are on some level connected with who your parents are..... these qualities about your life.... on some level reflect truths about your heritage and to which family you belong.

That is going to be our focus for today. Family reflections…

There is so much great stuff in this text, that it could take us several Sunday’s to study through its riches. Today we are going to focus our study on a key truth that I will go ahead and give you.

The key truth that Jesus is teaching in this passage and that we will focus our study on today is this:

What flows from your heart reveals to whom you belong.

Proverbs 4:23 says:

Proverbs 4:23 ESV

Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.

That phrase means that out of our hearts (the inner most part of who we are) flows all of our actions, thoughts, speech, etc… So, a key truth to remember is that what flows out of your heart is made visible through your actions.

If we were to reverse engineer that thought… you could say it this way: Your actions (what we think, what we say, what we do, how we act, etc…) reflect the true condition of your heart.

That is an important truth that we will see Jesus present here in John 8:39-59.

As we continue our study through the Gospel of John, we are going to finish up chapter 8 today. Let’s go ahead and open our Bibles together to the gospel of John, chapter 8.

Nathan did a great job last week at pointing out that when Jesus spoke with this group of religious leaders, He revealed to them that true spiritual freedom comes from Abiding in the Truth, the truth of God’s Word.... the truth of Christ.

— True Freedom comes from True Faith… and true faith leads us to obedience to our Lord —

You may remember that the Pharisees responded to Jesus’ truth by saying that they were “offspring of Abraham”. (vs. 33)

Jesus is focused on spiritual things.... while the Jews are merely focused on the physical.

When the Jews says that they were “offspring of Abraham”, that statement has a lot to do with their world-view… a lens through which they saw the world.

By claiming to be “offspring of Abraham”, what they were claiming was a physical and spiritual pedigree.

The Jews, and especially the Pharisees, believed that they were pure-bred religious elite who had a direct blood line pass to God through Abraham.

It was also a common assumption that as Jews… as descendants of Abraham… that the Jews would ultimately be saved base on the spiritual credit that Abraham had accumulated with God.

Many Jews believed that Abraham was so godly that he had stored up such a large amount of merit with God that all of his descendants could draw from it and be received into the eternal kingdom.

After the days of Christ, a Christian named Justin Martyr had a conversation with a many name Trypho the Jew. It is recorded that in their conversation Trypho ended their discussion on this topic with these words… “the eternal kingdom will be given to those who are the seed of Abraham according to the flesh, even if they are sinner and unbelievers and disobedient to God.”

No wonder why the religious leaders are so confidently proclaiming that Abraham is their father. Their security.... was in Abraham”.... their trust for salvation was in their heritage and family connections, but, not in God.

Jesus provided corrective truth to the Jews’ misinterpretation in verse 34 when he said… “Everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin”.

All of us…. even physical children of Abraham (or to bring it to our setting today..., even people who are physical children of faithful believers) are born as sinners… born into the slavery of sin.

No matter what our heritage… or pedigree.... we are all born as lost sinners with no hope of saving ourselves from the penalty of sin....

Last week Jesus shared that true freedom from the bondage of sin… is only through Christ.

A relationship with Christ based on true faith in Christ… is the only way for a person to be truly free. Nothing else will work…. heritage, ethnicity, color, social status, good works…. nothing…….

The Pharisees were trusting in their Physical Pedigree and their spiritual heritage to save them…. they were trusting in the credit their fathers had saved up for them to pay their entrance fee to heaven.

On the surface, we think. Man! How sad! How unfortunate that these Jews were being so blind to the truth.

But, it still happens today.

How many of us have talked with someone that said… “I’ve always been a Christian.... you know my my grandpa was a minister or my dad was a preacher”.

People are quick to trust in anything other than Christ for salvation.

Our sin nature longs to cling to anything that is not of Christ.

People are extremely quick to trust in their family connections, their parents faith, or their supposed good works.... but are quite hesitant and reluctant to place 100% of their faith and trust in Christ for salvation.

As Jesus confronts this fallacy in the Jews minds and hearts He makes a statement in verses 37-38 that actually serve as His last proposition (faith challenging question) in chapter 8. In these 2 sentences Jesus poses a very important self-assessment question…. that must be answered by these supposed religious men…. but also by each and every one of us. .... Who is your Father?

I. Jesus’ Proposition: Who is your father? (37-38)

Read vs. 37-38

“I know that you are offspring of Abraham (you are physical / ethnic descendants of Abraham); yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. (They had rejected the revelation of God through Christ…. they had rejected God’s truth and through their rejection they had become spiritual blind) 38 I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and (therefore… or in response to… actually in rejection of my words…) you do what you have heard from your father.”

The main idea of Jesus is saying is this: His words have one source… and the actions of these supposed religious leaders have the exact opposite source. They are from two different families..... they have two different fathers.

In a way.... Jesus is asking these men… “Who is your father?”

‘You say that you belong to God… that you are worshippers of Yahweh… but by your actions and the condition of your heart.... it seems like you belong to someone else.

What flows from your heart… is a clear demonstration of to whom you belong.

Your actions are a representation of to which family you belong.

Notice the slight difference in the wording Jesus uses as he describes his relationship with His father versus the Pharisees relationship with their father. Look at verse 38…

Jesus says… “I speak of what I have seen with my Father”…. Jesus had seen the Father… he had been with the Father from eternity past…. there is nothing hidden…. there is perfect unity…. perfect transparency within the God-head…. The truths that Jesus speaks and the truth that Jesus is…. he saw, He planned out with the Father in eternity past….. All that Jesus says and does has full and perfect agreement with the Father.

The tense that Jesus uses in this phrase expresses the idea of Jesus’ long term and continuous relationship with the Father…. which is still on going… ‘I am speaking of what I have seen with my own eyes… when I was with the Father’

In contrast to that…. Jesus says…. in response to my words and actions….“you do what you have heard from your father”.

The tense Jesus uses here simply expresses a fact…

You have heard…. there is no relationship… there is no continuation… the phrase simply expresses a means to an end…..

Based on the actions and heart condition of these men, Jesus is implying that their father is the devil himself… Satan.

… you haven’t actually seen your father…. the devil. No, you have only heard from him.

He would never actually reveal himself to you…. instead he whispers in your ears and hearts…. presenting himself as something he is not…. just like back in Eden.

So basically, Jesus is saying that by their actions and heart condition, these Jews have professed allegiance to the sinful world system and… their father… Satan.

As you can imagine, this accusation that the devil is their father.... incites these religious rulers to fight back… first with their words.... and then with their actions. The words and actions of the crowd are like a litmus test… revealing character..... the character of their hearts… which is a direct reflection of their true father.

Let’s look at the rest of the passage and see how Jesus explains that our actions are a physical (visible) outflowing of our spiritual character.... of what is in our hearts.

II. Revealing Character: (Physical outflowing of Spiritual character)

By suggesting the question, “Who is your father?”, Jesus has set the topic of discussion… and in verses 39-59 we have recorded the dialogue that takes place that leads up to a rather heated climax.

Let’s start by reading verses 37-47.

John 8:37–47 ESV

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.” 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, 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. 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 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. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. 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. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.”

There are three different family characters that are represented in this passage. As Jesus talks with the Jews 3 types of family relationships are described. A- Children of Abraham, B - Children of Satan, and C -Children of God.

The first character revealed is that of the children of Abraham:

A. Children of Abraham: Physical descendants but not spiritual children (33, 37, 39-40)

What Jesus was saying was pretty obvious to the Pharisees.

Look at verse 39 again. “Abraham is our father”.

The Jews are basing their eternal hope on the fact that they were physical descendants of Abraham.

As I shared with you before, many Jews believed… and some today still believe that their eternal destiny has been bought and paid for by the enormous amount of faith and “righteousness” stored up by Abraham.

The Jews are focusing on the physical… but Jesus is focusing on the Spiritual. He made that clear back in verse 23 when he said… “You are of this world; I am not of this world.”

You are focused on this physical realm.... but, I am focused on the spiritual realm...

Love for the world… and a saturation by the world system darkens our minds and blinds us from being able to see or understand spiritual things.

God used Paul to reveal to us in 2 Corinthians 4:4 that “the god of this world (Satan) 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.”

Like so many people today, those talking with Jesus were basing their eternal destiny on their family ties, physical connections, and their own works....

Many people (in our world… in our state… in our county.... in our city.... in our neighborhoods.... in our families.... and maybe eve in our church....) are blinded to the truth… that is plainly written before them.... and these people, who were talking with Jesus, were blinded to the truth that was literally standing before them.

For 8 chapters now, John has been reporting the truth that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God… and through Him alone mankind can be saved, forgiven… and reconciled with God.

But, some people are still not able to understand.

In verse 39, Jesus responds to this claim of Pedigree and heritage by saying, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did...”

What were the works that Abraham did?

To answer that question, we need to go back to Genesis 15, where Abraham was declared righteous.... and then we can see what kind of “work” he did.

Genesis 15:6 ESV

And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.

What was the work of Abraham? The work Abraham did was simply to have faith! To Believe!!!

Abraham believed that God would do what He had promised.... He Believed…

Jesus spoke about this “work” that provides righteousness in John 6:29 when he He said… the work of God… is “that you believe in Him whom He has sent.”

You want to work your way to heaven? Then do the work that Abraham did..... believe!

Jesus is confronting a group of people who were trusting in their heritage and family connection to save them by saying…

… If you were really children of Abraham then you would do what Abraham did....

… If you were true children of Abraham.... then your actions would be similar to his… you would be following in your Fathers footsteps....

If you were really Abraham’s spiritual children.... and heirs to the spiritual promises and blessings of God… then your actions would show to whom you belong.

Your actions, which are a visible representation of your faith, would mirror Abraham’s faith.

Basically… If you were really children of Abraham… then you would believe!

A true spiritual descendant of Abraham… is a person who has truly believed God (believed the gospel… the truth about what God revealed in the OT about the Messiah and the truth about who Jesus is as the promised Messiah, Savior, and Lord).

A true spiritual descendant of Abraham.. a true believer has had righteousness applied to their account by God on because of their belief.

Abraham’s children are characterized by their true and whole hearted belief (faith) in God’s plan of salvation.

Sadly, the people with which Jesus is speaking don’t believe.

Jesus points that out in verse 40 when He says, “but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. That is not what Abraham did.”

Rather than possessing a faith like that of Abraham, who believed God and submitted to God’s truth.... these people are actually plotting to kill Jesus… who is the truth of God.

The very opposite things that Abraham did.

When the truth from God was presented to Abraham.. He did not retaliate in rebellion.... no, he believed!!!..... he set aside his own ideas and opinions… he believed, submitting Himself to the belief that God would be true to His Word!

Have you done this? Have you truly submitted to the truth of God’s Word?

If a person were to watch you throughout the day… would they see that you are a spiritual child of Abraham? Do your actions reflect the actions of someone who has truly believed?

Do you wake up daily asking God to help you submit to His truth and live as a visible representation of Christ in the world?

By their actions, these people are demonstrating that they are not really anything like Abraham…

These Jews may be physical descendants of Father Abraham, but spiritually they are demonstrating a family resemblance to another father.

Jesus explained that the character possessed by children of Abraham. The next character revealed is going to be that of the children of Satan:

B. Children of Satan: Representing their True Father (38, 40, 41, 44)

Look at verses 41: “You are doing the work your father did.”

Then, in verse 44, Jesus further clarifies His statement when he says, “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 has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for his is a liar and the father of lies.”

What are the characteristics that Jesus is pointing out?

Verse 44 gives us more insight.

“a murderer from the beginning”

The first murder took place in the garden, as Satan, disguised as a serpent deceived Eve and Adam followed her lead. Their sin resulted in death. Immediate separation from God… and eventual physical death.

Not long after Adam and Eve were kicked out of the Garden, their oldest son Cain, followed in the footsteps of Satan and murdered his brother Abel.

Murder is horrible. We obviously should not take another person’s life. But, murder is really just the outward physical expression of sins of the heart.

What are the heart issues that lead to murder taking place?

Pride, anger, jealousy, envy, etc...

Jesus even said in His sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5:22) that if we have anger in our hearts… that we are guilty of or held liable for murder.

“does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him”

“a liar.... the father of lies”

Satan is a habitual liar. We see this first illustrated in the garden. In Genesis 3:1 and 4

“Did God actually say...” Satan was drawing out any doubt that there may have been in Eve’s heart and mind about what Adam had told her that God has said.

“You will not surely die”.... Eve, you’re not going to die! When you eat the fruit, “your eyes will be opened… and you will know good and evil”. Eve, you are going to become like God.... knowing all things..... and God doesn’t want that.

Most lies have a kernel of truth. the truth was… if Adam and Eve ate the fruit they would know good and evil. So, in a sense they would be somewhat like God. But, the lie came in when Satan twisted the truth to make it seem like the one rule God gave them to follow was meant to make it seem like God was keeping something good from mankind.... but, as we know the opposite is true…

God wasn’t keeping something good from mankind.... He was actually keeping mankind from something horrible.... sin and death.

If someone were to follow you around for 7 days.... what kind of actions and character would they see?

Would pride, anger, lies, lust, half-truths, deceitful exaggerations, disrespect, or any other ungodly characteristics be seen?

What flows from your heart… will reflect to whom you belong.

As you examine your heart and life today… search your heart and actions and see if any of these characteristics would describe you. If so, then you are acting more like a son of the World.... a child of Satan than a child of God.

This is serious stuff. The actions we do… the habits we have… are a direct reflection of the spiritual condition of our hearts.... which is a direct reflection of which family we belong.

When Jesus confronts the heart issue of these religious leaders by saying… “You are doing the works of your father....”

They repent and ask God to forgive them… and believe!

Right? Well, unfortunately no.

The Jews do not respond in repentance… like most sinners who have been confronted with their sin… they respond in retaliation by saying… “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father — even God.”

With no other legitimate way to answer back, these men resort to name calling and slander.

They were basically saying… ‘Hey Jesus… we weren’t born of fornication like you. We heard the rumors about you.. about the shady circumstances about your birth… unlike you… we are proper children of God!’

It is so easy for people to be wrong about their spiritual state when they come from a christian family or tradition. The blessings of having a godly heritage can actually become a curse.

“Many of us believe we receive Christ as children. However, it does not necessarily follow that, because our parents have fondly recounted our infant conversion so often that we can describe it as if we remember every detail, we have truly been converted. And we parents can be guilty of desiring spiritual life for our children so much that we imagine they have virtues they never had.” (Hughes)

This immature name calling response in verse 41 provides the perfect open door for Jesus to further show this group of people their true spiritual condition.

Jesus contrasts the sinful character of the crowd with the sanctifying character of the children of God.

The last character revealed is that of the children of God

C. Children of God: Confirmed by demonstration (42,43, 47)

This character is confirmed… it is made visible by demonstration.

Look at verse 42: “If God were your father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not on my own accord, but he sent me. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word.”

It is almost as if Jesus is saying.... ‘Listen men… why are you getting so upset? I’m only calling things as I see them. You say that you are children of Abraham and children of God. But, if you were legitimate children of God… your spiritual condition and outward actions would prove it.’

This text tells us that true children of God will love Jesus.

John emphasizes this later in his epistle… 1 John 4:7-11

1 John 4:7–11 ESV

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

The highest and more accurate test of our faith is whether we truly love Jesus Christ.

This is a question that you cannot answer for anyone else.

If you were to examine your heart… truthfully. Is your love for Christ higher and stronger than your love for all other things?

Is your love for Christ stronger and more important to you than your love for your physical security?

Is your love for Christ stronger and more important to you than your love for your financial stability?

Is your love for Christ stronger and more important to you than your love for your rights or liberty as an American?

Those might be some tough questions for some...

Spiritual children of Abraham are children of God… people who have responded in faith to Christ… and who love Him more than anything.

When people look at you... is their first impression of you that you love Jesus more than anything?

That is convicting to me… because sometimes I wonder if my love for Christ is displayed well enough or clear enough?

What do I want for myself and for all of you?

That Jesus be the most important love of our lives.

To grow in love for Jesus… you have to spend time wit him. You can only spend time with Him through the reading of His Word.... and talking with him through prayer. As a church we can help each other grow in the love of Jesus by holding each other accountable for our growth as Christians. Encouraging one another… challenging one another to godliness.

Those who cannot bear to hear, embrace, and apply the truth of God’s word… the truth of Christ to their lives.... are demonstrating more of a family connection with Satan than with God.

Remember...

What flows from your heart.... will reveal to whom you belong....

The physical actions, words, and thoughts of a person are a direct result of the condition of their heart and will reveal to whom they belong (their true father).

The heart attitudes of these religious leaders with whom Jesus is speaking are beginning to show. With each word Jesus reveals more truth about their condition… and with each word their tempers seem to grow hotter.

As this conversation continues, the discussion eventually comes to boil… and at the climax of the conversation.... The truth of Jesus’ proposition is played out.

These Jews prove who their spiritual father really is. Let’s look at the climax to this narrative together as we ready verses 48-59.

III. Narrative Climax: Proof of the Proposition (48-59)

John 8:48 ESV

The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?”

John 8:49–51 ESV

Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge. Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.”

As the Jews have no other way to argue with Jesus, they continue to slander and bait him by calling him names.

Jesus does not take the bait. He simply speaks the same truth He has been speaking since the beginning of his public ministry.

John 8:52–53 ESV

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.’ Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?”

John 8:54–55 ESV

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.’ 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.

Jesus says… I don’t make myself out to be anyone.... But, God does. I am speaking the truth… the truth that comes directly from the mouth of God.... but you people are doing nothing but telling lies.

Can you feel the tension building??? The Jews tempers are hot by now their anger is slowly beginning to come to a boil.

John 8:56–57 ESV

Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?”

the tension is near boiling now... the anger and hatred is almost ready to overflow...

John 8:58 ESV

Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”

“I AM”!!!

This is the climax of the event.... hearts are pounding… emotions are high... the divine truth of who Jesus is being revealed to the world!!!

Again we are presented with a Divine “I AM” statement from the lips of Jesus. Jesus again is claiming His Oneness with the Divine… His identity as Yahweh… the Creator, sustainer, Covenant making… Promise Keeping God…

Again Jesus publicly proclaims His deity. He has hinted at it… He is plainly proclaimed it.... He has done miracles… He has done things only God can do… He knows things only God can know.... Jesus perfectly fulfills all the promises made by God about the coming of the promised Messiah....

But… those who are blind to the truth… cannot see it… even if it is standing in front of them.

So, in verse 59 we are told that “they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.”

This crowd of religious leaders that Jesus has been speaking with finally lose it and decide that they have had enough. They pick up stones..... trying to murder Jesus..... no trial… no judge… no jury… Just mob justice....

But, it’s not Jesus’ time. Jesus will hand himself over to this mob.... but not yet. Soon, Jesus will allow this group of religious leaders to sentence him to death… but not yet.

So, by some miraculous means… Jesus disappears or passes through them, being able to leave without a scratch.

Conclusion/ Application:

How do you respond when presented with Divine truth?

The people in our text today… tried to kill the messenger. They were presented with pure divine truth… and they rejected it.

Spiritual children of Satan and this world will respond in rejection and rebellion

Spiritual children of Abraham (children of God) will respond in belief and submission

Main Idea: What flows from our hearts reveals to whom we belong.

How can we respond to this truth today?

Demonstrate your love for Christ and whole hearted embracing of His Word through your actions, words, thoughts, and character.

Whose children are we? Who is your father?

How can we test where our allegiances lie? (at home spiritual paternity test)

When you evaluate your actions… what do they tell you about your heart?

To whom does your heart belong?

Do you truly love Christ?

Does God’s Word have a secure and permanent place in you?

Is it a part of who you are…. part of your very DNA?

Are our actions and character any different because of our love for Christ and His Word?

How are your actions/ character different than the actions and character of your unbelieving friends? Is there any difference?

Which father do our actions and character reflect?

When you walk down the street… go to work....do your shopping… interact with your neighbors… we want them to be able to look at us and say… Wow… It is amazing how much you look and act just like your father....

When I talk with you.... because of how you live your life.... it is like I am talking with Jesus.

Christian.... we were made as image bearers of God… meant to reflect the glory of God to the world and back to Him. Do you do that?

Do you demonstrate your love for Christ by embracing His Word and living it out through your actions, words, thoughts, and character?

Its a challenge to all of us. Live like your father!

What flows from our hearts reveals to whom we belong.

Reflect Jesus with every step you take… every word you speak… and decision you make....