Sermon Tone Analysis

That You May Believe and Have Life#26

John 8:38-59

 

The 3rd week in January represents two historic remembrances one positive and one negative … one we seem to be making slow progress and one that I’m afraid we may be moving backwards

This week represents the remembrance of the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., born 79 years ago, January 15, 1929; and remembering the decision by the U.S. Supreme court effectually legalizing abortion on demand, 35 years ago, January 22, 1973.

Word came out this week that in the last year there were fewer abortions than in the last 29 years.

While there are still thousands a day, and it is still legal, it would seem that progress is being made.

But I have to say that as I look around, and as I remember the words of Dr. King’s Dream, I have to wonder if we are not moving backwards in many ways in regards to racial reconciliation.

We hear cries about justice and injustice

We see people turn away from injustice in regards to the unborn and say “I am more important” ….

Either in word or in deed

We see people turn away from injustice in regards to elderly and say “I am more important”

Injustice in regards to racial concerns and people say “I am more important” …

 

You see I realized something this week

That often injustice is only injustice if it happens to me

We lose our sight of injustice when we lose our ability to see things from someone else’s perspective and when we lose sight of what really is supreme.

Injustice happens when I think that I am Supreme

Injustice happens when I think that I COME FIRST

 

In Dr. King’s message “Just about Midnight”, he gives examples of “midnight” and he says

/“some are tempted to revise Jesus’ command to read ‘Go ye into all the world, keep your blood pressure down, and lo, I will make you a well-adjusted personality.’”

/ 

And then he points out that at midnight everything /“…loses distinctiveness and becomes a sullen shade of gray.

Moral principles have lost their distinctiveness.

For modern man, absolute right and wrong are a matter of what the majority is doing … we have unconsciously applied Einstein’s theory of relativity, which properly described the physical universe, to the moral and ethical realm.”/

It’s amazing to me that we can talk about the right to choose, but give that baby in the womb no right to choose.

Women say “it is my body” but what about the child’s body.

Why is it a fetus if we don’t want to keep it and a baby if we want it?

We take the life by choice and it’s legal, but if we are expecting a baby and a injury or assault takes the life of the child, then we then call it murder.

How can this be?

It comes back to who’s supreme.

Supremacism is a belief that a particular race, religion, gender, belief system or culture is superior to others and those who hold that view seek to dominate or control those who are NOT in their group.

The word “supremacist” today makes us think of those who follow Hitler.

The nazi party had fundamental principles that believed that the European or Aryan race was superior to every other.

But, they are by far NOT the ONLY supremacists

Some Former Confederates formed a secret society called the ku klux klan.

They grossly misused scripture and taught an anglo protestant supremacy.

But don’t think for a minute that this is simply an anglo problem.

Japan’s military leaders in World War II told their population that they were a superior race, destined to rule the East.

Rastafarianism coming out of Jamaica preaches a supremacy of the African race and a return in Exodus form to Africa, Ethiopia in particular.

Nation of Islam teachings stem from the Yakub doctrine that Allah is the original supreme black man and that all black men are part of this God-race; and that the race is divine and superior to all other races

There are Radical Muslims that teach supremacy as well as radical Judaism and on and on.

There are scientific supremacists and educational supremacists who believe that their way of thinking is the ONLY way to think and all others pale in comparison

Generally those with a supremacist mentality have a Triumphalism.

That is a belief that a certain culture, doctrine, social system should triumph over every other.

But Romanism didn’t triumph forever over all things

Marxism didn’t triumph over everyone for all times

Nazism and Klanism didn’t survive in grand scale didn’t triumph and now is left to only the ignorant few filled with hate and extremist views

Science and Education will not be the Triumph of humanity because we ultimately can’t know everything

Geneticist Francois Jacob wrote, /“science cannot answer all questions, it can, give some indications, exclude certain hypotheses.

Engaging in the pursuit of science may help us make fewer mistakes”/

 

I don’t even believe in Christian Triumphalism in regards to saying that those who call themselves Christians are superior and will triumph politically …

I DO however believe in the Triumphalism of Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ WILL Triumph, his CHURCH, a TRUE Church, His Bride WILL reign WITH, but NOT here in this life, but for a millennium and for eternity with him in a New Heaven and New Earth

Because I believe in the Supremacy of Jesus Christ

The way to defeat racism, classism, elitism, educationalism, evolutionism, the abortionist, racist, and on and on is to understand the Supremacy of Jesus Christ

 

Remember in last week’s text Jesus said /“if you are Abraham’s children, you would do as Abraham did …” and “…If God were your Father, you would love me for I came from the Father”/

/ /

So we pick up in John 8:48 in this 26th message from the gospel of John

 

These may not be popular words today, but as Dr. King said in that famous message I quoted earlier /“if the church does not recapture its prophetic zeal, it will become an irrelevant social club without moral or spiritual authority.”/

READ John 8:48-59

 

/Are you greater than our Father Abraham?/

 

Jesus said  /“Before Abraham was I AM”/

 

Oh many of the Jews of that day were supremacists for sure.

They believed they were the greatest, the only ones acceptable to God.

But they missed their calling

Yes!

They were chosen especially by God for his purposes

Yes!

They were loved by God

But it was NOT for the exclusion of the rest of the world but to REVEAL God to the world

Isaiah 49 shows us that God would work through Israel to redeem the world to be a light to draw and reveal.

And they say “you aren’t as great as our Father Abraham”

 

And Jesus says …

 

1.

Before Abraham

 

Now Abraham was a great man.

But Abraham was a great man because his faith was in God Almighty

Abraham was a great man but Jesus was BEFORE him

 

Even more so, we need to know today that before the Racist … Jesus was here

Before the Abortionist Jesus was here

 

Before the Supremacist, Jesus was here

Before the White Supremacist

Before the Black Supremacist

Before the Asian Supremacist

Before the Legal Supremacist

The national Supremacist

The Scientific Supremacist

 

Jesus says … I was here long before they were

 

Lloyd Benson got off one of the best political one liners ever when Dan Quayle was referring to Jack Kennedy and Lloyd Benson said /“I knew Jack Kennedy, Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine, and you are NO Jack Kennedy”/  … what was he saying … he was saying … I was here long before you were.

Well Jesus was saying a similar thing here

He was saying, I knew Abraham, Abraham was a Friend of Mine, and you my friends are no child of Abraham

 

Jesus was Before Abraham

In the Beginning God … created the Heavens and the Earth

In the Beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.

Jesus could have said “I had lunch with Abraham as recorded in Genesis 18 … before I destroyed Sodom …”

 

Oh I believe we should fight against the abortionist, the supremacists, but I am not afraid of them because

Jesus was here before

Jesus has seen it before

Jesus has heard it before

 

Which delivers the second thing …

 

2.

Abraham Was

 

Abraham was a great man … But Abraham was

The Covenant and the Law given by God through Abraham were great things … but

JESUS IS HERE …