8 12-20 Why Jesus Can Be Trusted
liberty bible church 8/31/08 a.M.
By Tom Zobrist
“why jesus can be trusted”
John 8:12-20
introduction
Illus. of TV stats. More Americans spend time getting information from the television than they do from any other source. Even Christians seem to trust it more than we do God’s Word, even though much of the information is unreliable and inaccurate. God’s Word is sure and true and yet we question it more than what we watch on the television. Why can Jesus and His Word be trusted?
OPEN to the passage.
Prop. In this passage, we see Jesus show why His self-witness is trustworthy.
Open in PRAYER.
PREVIEW the passage. We are picking back up where we left off at the end of chapter 7. Jesus had been having some confrontations with the Pharisees and they were trying to arrest Him. Cf. 7:40-52. We’re going to use popular TV shows as our outline to show the superiority of our Savior. He is better than any television program. First…
i. jesus is better than the guiding light vs. 12
Illus. of I haven’t watched the Guiding Light for over 40 years. My grandma used to have it on while she did her ironing. I have no idea of even whether it is on any more. If it is, Jesus is better.
a. jesus is the light of the world
V 12a 1. He again addresses the religious leaders who wanted him dead.
V 12b 2. Another activity during the Feast of Tabernacles was the lighting of giant lamps in the women’s court of the Temple. Special lamps were made and the wicks were made from worn-out garments worn by priests. They lighted the whole area and people would gather to sing praises, worship, and dance. It was to be a reminder of how God was with them while they were in the wilderness and the pillar of fire guided them at night.
3. When Jesus said “I am the light of the world” there was no doubt what He was saying. The world is in darkness, which represents evil and sin and ignorance of God. Light is a symbol of God and His holiness. Jesus is not a light, He is the light. Jesus here is once again putting Himself on the same plane as God.
b. Jesus is the guide of the world
V 12c 1. What does it mean to follow Jesus.
a. We must believe in Him for the forgiveness of our sins. GOSPEL
b. We must obey His Word. To follow Jesus is to live a different life. We are no longer ignorant of God’s ways nor rebellious against Him.
2. If we follow Jesus in this way, we will avoid the darkness and despair of sin and be guided in the way in which God wants us to go.
Trans. JESUS IS BETTER THAN THE GUIDING LIGHT because He is the guiding light. Second…
ii. jesus is better than court tv vs. 13-18
Illus. of there are more “judge” TV shows than you can shake a stick at plus Court TV. Why are they so popular? Anyway, with our interest in court TV, still only 17% of Americans can name at least 3 Supreme Court justices. Here, we see Jesus is the whole courtroom wrapped up in one person.
a. Jesus is a trustworthy witness
V 13a 1. Jesus was the only witness so far of the fact that He was indeed the Messiah. He had given much testimony. The Law required 2 witnesses to convict someone of murder and Rabbinic tradition rejected self-testimony.
V 13b 2. Therefore, His testimony about Himself was not considered valid. “not true” means to admissible. It’s not that they wanted to say that it was not true, they were just not going to accept it.
V 14a 3. Sometimes only one person can know the truth. If that person fails to speak, we will never know. Jesus is the only one who knew who He was and where He was from. He was God and He could bear witness of that fact. He knew where He came from and He knew where He was going.
V 14b 4. The Pharisees did not know Him nor where He was from, so there testimony was in fact the testimony that was inadmissible.
b. jesus is a trustworthy judge
V 15a 1. The Pharisees could only judge according to the flesh. They had no other option. They judged on human standards based on what they could see. They were not in the Spirit so could not judge any other way than by the flesh. So, they misjudged Him and who He was. Illus. of many people today misjudge Jesus because they are in the flesh. He must be accepted in the Spirit and then He can be seen.
V 15b 2. Jesus did not come to judge, He came to seek and to save that which was lost. When He does judge in the future, He will merely execute the Father’s will.
V 16a 3. Jesus’ judgment was different than theirs. His was unbiased and direct from God. Theirs was biased and limited, only in the flesh.
V 16b 4. He spoke only the Words of the Father. That made His testimony from more than one person. He makes that point next.
V 17 5. This probably refers to the Mosaic Law which speaks of the necessity of two witnesses for capital crimes.
V 18 6. The two witnesses for Jesus are Himself and the Father. The Father bears witness through Jesus’ works that He performed for all to see.
Trans. JESUS IS BETTER THAN THE GUIDING LIGHT because He is the guiding light. Second, JESUS IS BETTER THAN COURT TV because He is the best witness and judge. He is the whole courtroom. Finally…
iii. jesus is better than garbage tv vs. 19-20
Illus. of Maury and Montel and some others that most of their time doing paternity tests. That’s what the question here is for Jesus. Who’s your father?
A. Jesus knows who his father is
V 19a 1. The Pharisees were confused as to what Jesus is talking about now when He mentions His Father. Is He really talking about God being His Father? Is He talking about His earthly father? Either way, they thought that this question would clarify His teaching on His Father.
V 19b 2. Once again, His answer clears nothing up for someone who is earthly minded. To know God, we must know Jesus. We also see here that just talking to Jesus makes no one a follower of His. If you know Jesus, you would know the Father.
B. jesus is secure in his father
V 20a 1. Once again Jesus was not teaching in secret. He was right out in the open.
V 20b 2. Jesus could be touched by no one for He was on the Father’s timetable, as we have seen stated by John several times here.
conclusion
Jesus is so much better than TV. JESUS IS BETTER THAN THE GUIDING LIGHT because He is the guiding light. Second, JESUS IS BETTER THAN COURT TV because He is the best witness and judge. JESUS IS BETTER THAN GARBAGE TV because He knows His father and is secure in His Father. What does this mean for us? Does it mean that we can’t watch television? NO! What does it mean?
1. Trust God first, not the television. GOSPEL
2. See to know Him and obey Him through His Word every day.
3. Be balanced and discerning in your TV habits.
Illus. of more TV stats.
In all your TV watching, don’t be a stooge when it comes to your knowledge of and obedience to God’s Word. You might be judged in the people’s court, but if you trust in Jesus, and you will always be in His guiding light.
pRAY
“why jesus can be trusted”
John 8:12-20
introduction
Why can Jesus and His Word be trusted?
i. jesus is better than vs. 12
a. jesus is the ____________________ of the world
b. Jesus is the _____________________ of the world
ii. jesus is better than vs. 13-18
a. Jesus is a trustworthy ____________________
b. jesus is a trustworthy ____________________
iii. jesus is better than vs. 19-20
A. Jesus knows who his father is
B. jesus is _____________________ in his father
conclusion
What does this mean for us?
1.
2.
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