Who is your Father?

Last week We saw that Jesus is the truth and that Jesus will set us free from our sin if we abide in his word and seek to apply it to our lives. The Freedom to not sin is found through obedience to the Word of God that is only possible by the empowerment of the Holy Spirit living inside us. In today’s text Jesus tells the Jews they are children of the devil. Imagine how offensive that would be to be called the sons and daughters of Satan. Yet this is what Jesus says. I wonder how people can believe that Jesus was anti-confrontational. So why does Jesus say something so offensive. Didn’t he know people would get mad. I propose that Jesus objective was to get people to realize their wretched condition, they and we today without Christ are such despicable sinners that we are no different than Satan himself. This is the natural state of all men. Man has chosen to listen and obey satan rather than God, and for this reason we are bound in sin. Look with me at John 8:37-47 as we consider the question who is your father?

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.”

Notice that Jesus claims to be from God and also claims that the Jews are the children of Satan. This contrast frames the entire discussion in today’s text.

Children Imitate their Father

John 8:37–43 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.

Jesus first proof is that children imitate their father.

We have all seen how children long to be big and strong like dad and want to do what he does. You ask a policeman’s son what he wants to be when he grows up its a policeman, or a mechanics son wants to work on cars. young kids often try to play with dad’s tools pretending to be fixing something like daddy does. Children often imitate what they see their father doing even picking up bad habits like swearing, rudeness, or prejudice.

I speak of what I have seen/ you speak from what you have heard

Abraham is our Father

in the eastern way of thought to be a child is not simply a bloodline but rather it is a way of thought a way of life

You do not act like Abraham

Abraham welcomed the angels from Heaven

The Jews reject The Son from Heaven

God is our Father

God loves me - baptism, miracles, the wisdom

The Jews hate me

In both cases the Jews do not act like the father they claim.

Yet Jesus claims to not only be from God but to be one with him to be him. They are the same.

If We claim to be children of God are we seeking to live as Christ lived holy lives before God. Seeking to be obedient to him and to be faithfully sharing his love with the world around us. Do we stand out from the crowds around us, do they notice anything different about us or are we essentially the same with a veneer of godliness.

Children Seek to Please their Father

John 8:42–44 ESV

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.

The second proof Jesus gives is that children seek to please their Father.

We have all seen the child seeking dads approval and yet never quite seem to measure up and still time after time they will seek his approval. In time this desire may be diminished but I believe that children have a built in desire to hear their dad say well done.

Notice what Jesus says here if God were your father you would love me because I am from him.

He’s saying God loves me and He sent me and if you were really his children you would recognize that and you too would love me because it would bring him pleasure.

You are just a kid like everyone else you want to do your father’s will you just don’t realize who your father really is

Your father is the devil. Now this would be a slap in the face to the Jews. They were God’s chosen people and yet Jesus calls them children of the devil.

Yet look at his reasoning here They are seeking to kill Jesus for speaking the truth. He has commited no crime in fact in John 8:46

John 8:46 ESV

Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me?

What sin have I done that merits my death there is none for I have not sinned. Yet you seek my life. Because you in your heart seek to please the devil who was a murderer from the beginning.

He is the father of lies and eventually the Jewish leaders will bring in false witnesses to testify against him so they might put him to death. Again they will show their true loyalty is not to God but rather to Satan.

Who then do we please? Are we seeking to bring pleasure to God even if it costs us something or might cause us to be in conflict with the crowds. Do we find ourselves succumbing to the desires of those around us even when we know its not right. My friends let it not be so, Let us stand up for what is right and there by bring pleasure to our father in heaven. Let us no longer live lives that bring pleasure to Satan. Rather Let us live in such a way that Satan would consider us his foe rather than friend. Oh that I might live my life in such obedience to God that Satan would despise me and fear the impact my life might have on those around me. How I long to hear God tell me Matthew 25:21

Matthew 25:21 ESV

His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’

Children Trust their Father

John 8:44–47 ESV

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.”

The last proof is that children trust their father. The faith of a child can be terrifying at times. Have you ever been in the middle of a conversation or been doing something else and your child says Daddy catch me and leaps off into your arms. Except that you were unprepared and maybe were not even looking in their direction so you have that moment of panic as you seek to catch them and prevent the pain and suffering that is about to happen. Now we can all agree that clearly the child trusted the father to catch them whether or not that trust was deserved or not doesn't matter at that moment. For the child believes that daddy will catch him no matter what.

We should have that same trust for God.

Look at what Jesus says though to the Jews. I tell you the truth but you do not believe me.

He then gives another simple and direct statement.

Whoever is of God hears the word of God if you dont hear them its because your not of God.

Again the idea is if you are of God then you would hear God and trust him when he speaks but since you are not of God you do not hear him nor do you trust him.

Instead you trust Satan and his lies. It is much easier to agree with the masses than what it is to stand alone for what is right. Yet God says he is with us and we need only to trust him. Elijah once felt that he was all alone standing up against Jezebel and her servants of Baal. Yet God told replies 1 Kings 19:18

1 Kings 19:18 ESV

Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”

Elijah may have felt alone but there were 7000 other people in Israel that were still faithful to God.

It doesn't matter what our circumstance are or what we may feel what matters is do we trust God. The more I study the Bible the more I am convinced that God’s track record speaks for itself. Each one of us must decide to place our trust in God or to place it in the devil. From the very beginning Satan told eve that God was holding out and really didn't have her best interest at heart, and he is still telling that lie today. The question is who will you believe. I can say it no better than Joshua in Joshua 24:14-15

Joshua 24:14–15 ESV

“Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Invitation

Who is your father, Whom do you imitate, do you live rightly before God or do you lie cheat steal or whatever else it takes to get ahead. Is your life one that brings pleasure to God or is it one that would make Satan proud. In whom are you putting your faith. Do you prove your faith by your actions trusting God to act in accordance with his word or do you deny him and place your trust in the devil. You see the question really comes down to Who do you act like God or Satan? You may not like the answers to these questions it could be that as you self-evaluate you do not like what you see. I encourage you to repent. If you are a Christian repent and put God back on the throne of your life. Live a life that brings him glory honor and pleasure. Yet some of you may never have made Jesus Lord of your life. For you I encourage you to admit your sin before God and ask him for forgiveness, decide to today to turn away from your sin and be obedient to God, we call this repentance. Then give him rulership over your life, allowing him to be in charge then you too can become a child of God and experience a new life for yourself. Let us pray.