Like Father, Like Son

,

Believe

Like Father, Like Son

(John 10:31-42)

 

INTRODUCTION

“‘I feel like a monster,’ Gabriel Marshall said to his dad. Eight-year-old Gabriel had recently undergone surgery to remove a tumor from his brain, and he now bore a conspicuous scar on the side of his head. His dad, Josh, had an idea: he got a tattoo on the side of his head that was in the exact shape of Gabriel's scar. ‘If people want to stare at you,’ he told Gabriel, ‘then they can stare at both of us.’ A picture of the two sporting their scars eventually won first place in a Father's Day photo competition run by St. Baldrick's Foundation, ‘an organization dedicated to fighting childhood cancer.’ In some ways, their story might remind us of another story: about an empathetic Father, a wounded Son, and scars that were chosen because of love.”

 

Matt Woodley, Andrew Finch, and Emily Lund, at PreachingToday.com

 

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2016/july/1070416.html]

 

BODY

  • ME

    • Shaving

        • There are certain things I miss about my boys when they were younger, but I’m also enjoying the stage of life they are currently in

        • They loved to do some of the same things I did

        • The one thing I remember most was when they wanted to shave with me

        • We would get shaving cream out and put it on our faces and then they would use their toy razor – that didn’t have any sharp blades – and carefully remove the shaving cream from their face

        • They would shake the razor in the sink, filled with water, and continue to shave

        • I think we also used to put aftershave on together

        • They wanted to be like their Dad

 

  • WE

    • Being like our parents

        • We can probably all remember a time when we wanted to be just like our father or mother

          • Maybe as boys we put shaving cream on and pretended to shave like our fathers

          • As little girls we may have put on an apron and helped in the kitchen or pretended to provide an incredible meal for our dolls and stuffed animals

          • There are pictures of little boys and girls who have attempted to put on makeup like their mothers

        • Perhaps most of us have a fond memory of something our child or children did that was just the same way we had done it

 

Jesus defends His identity, His deity, by telling the Jews that they should not believe Him unless He does what His Father does. ​​ Jesus’ identity was evident because He did the same things His Father did – Like Father, Like Son. ​​ The Gospel writer, John, wants us to understand that . . .

 

BIG IDEA – ​​ Jesus’ works prove His words.

 

The same should be true of us as followers of Jesus Christ. ​​ Our works should prove our words. ​​ The works that we do are an outpouring of the transformation that took place through Jesus Christ. ​​ Our works can sometimes betray our words. ​​ Are we doing what the Father does? ​​ Are we saying what the Father is saying?

 

Let’s pray

 

  • GOD (John 10:31-42)

    • Rejected (vv. 31-39)

        • Jews want to stone Jesus (v. 31-33)

          • This is a continuation of last week’s message

          • We have to look back to verse 30 to see why the Jews are again picking up stones to stone Him

          • “I and the Father are one.” (John 10:30)

          • Jesus explains that He has shown them many great miracles from the Father

            • Jesus’ words here are important

              • The miracles He has done were not done by Him, but through the Father

              • God was the One who enabled Jesus to do the miracles

              • I love the fact that Jesus isn’t elevating Himself, but rather pointing the Jews to the Father

              • There is no greater role model than Jesus

              • We should be doing the same thing when we experience the miraculous in our lives

              • We should be pointing people to the Father and the Son

            • As we saw last week, those who trusted in Jesus by faith were given the ability to understand that the works, Jesus had done, proved that He was the Christ, the Messiah

            • The Jews, who refused to believe in Jesus by faith, were unable to understand that Jesus’ works proved He was the Christ

            • They were not His sheep, so they wanted Jesus to say it plainly and directly

            • While He didn’t say, “I am the Christ,” the Jews obviously understood His claim to deity when He said “I and the Father are one.”

            • That’s why the Jews have picked up stones to stone Him

          • Jesus asks them a question

            • Jesus wants to know which miracle is prompting them to pick up stones to stone Him

            • “Imagine if Rembrandt went back to elementary school. ​​ He gets his report card and notices that among all of the As he has an F in art class. ​​ He goes to the kindergarten art teacher and spreads out all of his finest paintings on the table in front of her. ​​ All over the walls are plastered the scribbling and finger-painting efforts of kindergarten students. ​​ He points down at his priceless masterpieces. ​​ ‘Which one of these beautiful pictures,’ he asks, ‘is the reason I failed your class?’ ​​ Here Jesus, the perfect Son of God, is living in the midst of a wicked, godless world. ​​ Every action, every word, and every conversation is spotless. ​​ Not only is he free from sin, but he travels around healing the helpless – restoring sight to the blind, making the lame walk, and curing the leper. ​​ He spreads his works out on the table in the sight of these men and says in effect, ‘Which one of these beautiful works is the reason you want to kill me?’” ​​ [Carter & Wredberg, Christ-Centered Exposition: Exalting Jesus in John, 224]

            • We know of a few miracles in the Gospel of John up to this point

              • Jesus turned water into wine (John 2:1-11)

              • Jesus heals a Government Official’s son (John 4:46-54)

              • Jesus heals a lame man by the Pool of Bethesda (John 5:1-18)

              • Jesus feeds five thousand (John 6:1-14)

              • Jesus heals a man born blind (John 9:1-12)

              • We know that Jesus probably performed many other miracles, but John has only highlighted these five, in His Gospel, so far

            • Jesus wants to know which of the miracles He has performed is the reason for their desire to stone Him

            • Jesus’ works prove His words.

          • The Jews reason for their desire to stone Jesus

            • The Jews explain that it’s not Jesus’ works (miracles), but His words that have them upset and ready to stone Him (they can’t deny the miracles He has performed, because there are too many witnesses)

            • They are accusing Him of blasphemy

              • They obviously don’t connect His miracles with deity or being from God, which is why they say that He is a mere man

                • This is the belief of many in our culture today

                • They believe that Jesus was just a mere man

                • He was a good person, a great teacher, an incredible prophet of God

                • They refuse to acknowledge that He is God, that He is divine

                • They strip Jesus of His deity and make Him a mere man, in their eyes

              • The Jews recognized Jesus’ claim, when He said, I and the Father are one.”

                • A mere man is claiming to be God

                • “They think Jesus is a man who is making himself God (v. 33). ​​ They’ve tragically reversed the truth. ​​ He’s God who made himself a man.” ​​ [Carter & Wredberg, 225]

                • The form of punishment for blasphemy was stoning [Burge, The NIV Application Commentary, John, 297]

                • Leviticus 24:13-16, Then the Lord said to Moses: “Take the blasphemer outside the camp. ​​ All those who heard him are to lay their hands on his head, and the entire assembly is to stone him. ​​ Say to the Israelites: ‘If anyone curses his God, he will be held responsible; anyone who blasphemes the name of the Lord must be put to death. ​​ The entire assembly must stone him. ​​ Whether an alien or native-born, when he blasphemes the Name, he must be put to death.’”

            • The Jews have the right punishment for blasphemy, but Jesus has not committed that offense

          • Jesus’ works prove His words.

        • Jesus uses Scripture to defend His claim (vv. 34-36)

          • Jesus quotes Psalm 82:6 in His defense

            • Debbie Hilling read the entire Psalm this morning

            • Psalm 82:6-7, “I said, ‘You are “gods”; you are all sons of the Most High. ​​ But you will die like mere men; you will fall like every other ruler.”

            • The rulers and judges of Israel were called “gods” and “sons of God” (Most High) by God, Himself

            • They were given those designations, because they had received God’s word and were responsible with making judgements, based on God’s Word, for the Israelites

            • Exodus 4:16, He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him (speaking of Aaron and Moses)

            • God had referred to human beings as “gods”

          • So, Jesus’ perfect argument goes something like this: “If God referred to your ancestors, who were rulers and judges, as god, then how can claiming that God and I are One, be blasphemy?”

          • Two important facts that Jesus presents to the Jews

            • Scripture cannot be broken

              • PRINCIPLE #1 – God’s Word is perfect.

              • Do you believe that today?

                • When I worked for a Savings & Loan in Florida, I remember being asked by a fellow employee how I could believe that God brought all the animals two-by-two to the ark

                • I responded by saying, “I don’t know how God did it, but I believe that it happened.”

                • That’s what faith is – believing in something without seeing it

                • I don’t question the validity or truthfulness of God’s Word, because I believe it is perfect, without error or contradiction

                • When someone begins to question the validity or truthfulness of God’s Word, then it no longer holds the status of being perfect in their eyes

                • They can and will begin to question other parts of the Bible and before long their faith in God is gone

              • Where are you today as it pertains to the God’s Word?

                • Perhaps someone at school or work has shared, what seems to be, compelling information that proves God’s Word can’t be trusted and isn’t true

                  • Most of the time those compelling arguments are a result of incorrect information or interpretation of God’s Word

                  • I would encourage you to take this next step

                  • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Reaffirm in my heart and mind that God’s Word is perfect, true, and trustworthy.

                • If you already believe that God’s Word is perfect, true, and trustworthy, then I would encourage you to take this next step

                  • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Thank the Lord for His Word.

              • The Jews would have agreed with Jesus that Scripture cannot be broken, which means that Jesus cannot be accused of blasphemy

            • God had sanctified (set apart) Him and sent Him into the world

              • The Jews would have understood from the Torah that God had promised to send the Christ (the Messiah) into the world – they believed that

              • They just didn’t recognize and believe that Jesus was the Christ

              • That didn’t change the fact that God had set Jesus apart as the One who would redeem humanity and fulfill His promise

              • It didn’t change the fact that God had sent Jesus into the world

          • Jesus’ argument probably has the Jews thinking seriously about who He is, so He encourages them to just believe in Him

        • Just believe (vv. 37-39)

          • I wish we could have heard Jesus’ tone of voice at this point, because my guess is that His tone was one of pleading with the Jews to believe

          • Challenge

            • Don’t believe me

              • If I don’t do what my Father does, then don’t believe in Me

              • This would certainly be an indication that Jesus was not from God

              • He would have been a false prophet or teacher trying to direct them away from God

              • So, they obviously shouldn’t believe in Him or follow Him

            • Believe the miracles

              • While Jesus doesn’t say it directly here, He is saying to them, “Even though you don’t believe my words, believe the works (miracles) from the Father

              • “Jesus’ works were the window into his words.” ​​ [Borchert, The New American Commentary, John 1-11, 344]

              • PRINCIPLE #2 – God’s people recognize His Son through His miracles.

              • If you believe the miracles from the Father, you will understand that the Father is in me, and I’m in the Father

                • “Interestingly, coming to understand is presented as the result, rather than condition, of believing.” ​​ [Köstenberger, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, John, 317]

                • This takes us back to last week’s Big Idea, Faith opens our eyes to believe God’s words and works

                • Sometimes we have to take the step of faith without having all of our questions answered and then we will be able to understand that Jesus’ works prove His words

              • PRINCIPLE #3– Jesus and God are One!

            • Jesus’ works prove His words.

              • Our works should prove our words

              • Is that true of us today?

                • Does what we say and do match?

                • Do our actions prove that we are a follower/disciple of Jesus Christ?

                • Would someone question our claim to be a disciple of Jesus Christ by how we act or react to certain situations?

                • Perhaps they would question our claim of being a disciple of Jesus Christ by what we say

                • I wish we could all live perfect lives without making mistakes, but that’s not reality

                • 1 John 1:9, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

                • Even how we handle our mistakes proves whether or not we’re a true disciple of Jesus Christ

                  • Do we readily admit when we’re wrong?

                  • Have we apologized for being wrong?

                  • Are we willing to return to the person we have wronged and ask for forgiveness?

                  • If we’ve shared incorrect information with others about someone else, have we done everything in our power to correct that information?

              • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Make sure that my works and words prove that I’m a true disciple of Jesus Christ.

            • Even though Jesus is pleading with the Jews to believe in Him, they aren’t quite ready to take that step yet

          • Reaction of the Jews

            • They try to seize Jesus either to stone Him or to arrest Him

            • Jesus escapes their grasp, because it’s still not God’s timing for Him to be put on trial and killed

        • While the Jews in Jerusalem have rejected Him, there are other Jews who will accept Him

    • Accepted (vv. 40-42)

        • We see that when Jesus escaped their grasp that He didn’t hang around Jerusalem anymore

          • John tells us that He went back to where He was introduced by John the Baptist

          • It was in Bethany, on the other side of the Jordan – this would have been on the eastern side of the Jordan River

        • He stayed there

          • We don’t know exactly how long Jesus stayed on the eastern side of the Jordan

          • We know that, according to John, He didn’t return to Jerusalem until it was time for His arrest, trial, and crucifixion

          • As we’ll see in coming weeks, He did go to Bethany, just outside of Jerusalem, to bring Lazarus back to life

        • Many people came to Him while He was there

          • Not everyone was angry and upset with Jesus’ claim to be the Son of God

          • I’m certain that those who believed in Him were following Him from place to place

          • But there were others, who were perhaps still trying to make up their minds, that were following Him too

          • The people who lived on the other side of the Jordan would have come to see Jesus and hear Him teach, as well

          • Those who came to Jesus were saying the same thing, “We never saw John perform a miraculous sign, but everything that he told us about You, Jesus, was true!”

            • Certainly, John the Baptist told them more than John the Gospel writer recorded, but we do know what John recorded

            • Michaels outlines it well [Michaels, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, The Gospel of John, 611]

              • Jesus is “the Lamb of God” (1:29)

              • Jesus is “the Son of God” (1:34)

              • Jesus is “the bridegroom” to whom “the bride” belonged (3:29)

              • The Spirit was his “without measure” (3:34)

              • The Father loved him and gave him all things (3:35)

              • Only those who believe in Him have eternal life (3:36)

              • Jesus will “take away the sin of the world” (1:29) [we know that this happened even though it hadn’t happened yet for them]

              • Jesus will “baptize in the Holy Spirit” (1:33) [we know this happened, but it hadn’t happened for them yet]

            • PRINCIPLE #4 – Our testimony about Jesus should be true and draw people to Him.

              • Is everything we share with others, about Jesus, true?

              • Are we enthusiastic about our relationship with Jesus and what He has done for us?

              • Is that evident when we talk with others about Jesus?

              • Think for a moment about something you’re passionate about

                • How do you talk about with other people?

                • Most often it is with enthusiasm and excitement

                • Our voice raises and we may talk faster

                • If you really like a song, you download it and listen it to over and over again, you tell your friends about it, and you know all the words

                • Do we do the same thing with our relationship with Jesus

                • That’s how we should be sharing Jesus with others

              • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Share the truths about Jesus with excitement and enthusiasm, so others will be drawn to Him.

          • Perhaps it was the cumulative effect of knowing, that everything John the Baptist said was true, that motivated the crowd to believe in Jesus

        • While Jesus was on the eastern side of the Jordan River, many believed in Him

 

  • YOU

    • Do you believe that God’s Word is perfect, true, and trustworthy?

    • Do you recognize that Jesus and God are one through the miracles that God has done?

    • Is your testimony about Jesus true and does it draw people to Him?

 

  • WE

    • These three truths are important for us to accept and hold to as a body of believers

    • These truths are important for us to share with those in our sphere of influence

 

CONCLUSION

As we saw in the opening illustration, Gabriel’s father had a scar tattooed on his head to match his son’s scar. ​​ As followers of Jesus Christ, His cross should be tattooed on our hearts.

 

We are all children of God when we believe in Jesus by faith. ​​ We are His sons and daughters. ​​ We should strive to do and say the things He does and says. ​​ Others should be able to say of us, “Like Father, Like Son” or “Like Father, Like Daughter.”

10

 

/by

Flock Insurance

,

Believe

Flock Insurance

(John 10:22-30)

 

INTRODUCTION

“A man returned to his native country to find that the authorities no longer believed in his existence upon this mortal plane. Constantin Reliu, 63, returned to Romania after a 20-year-stay in Turkey to find that the Romanian government, at his wife's urging, had previously declared him deceased.

 

Unable to corroborate any details with his wife, the Associated Press conducted a phone interview with Reliu from his residence in Barlad. ‘I am a living ghost. I am officially dead, although I'm alive. I have no income, and because I am dead, I cannot do anything.’

 

Reliu explained that in the early nineties, he left to work in Turkey. Upon returning and discovering his wife's infidelity, he decided to leave again for good—or so he thought. In December of 2017, Reliu was detained by Turkish officials for having outdated residency documents, and was deported back to Romania in January where he discovered that authorities believed him already to be dead.

 

Border agents subjected Reliu to six hours of testing and questioning, asking him topographical questions about his hometown and measuring the contours of his face compared to old passport photos. They finally released him after their investigation was satisfied.

 

Officials in Barlad, however, were not as accommodating. Citing his delay as a clerical error, they denied his request to overturn the death certificate on the basis of it being too late.”

 

Jelani Greenidge, pastor, PreachingToday.com; source: Associated Press, "Dead man walking: Court rejects Romanian's claim he's alive" MSN (3-17-18).

 

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2018/april/court-rejects-romanians-legal-claim-of-being-alive.html].

 

Imagine how Reliu felt after going through all of the testing and questioning by the Romanian government, only to have the city officials refuse to overturn his death certificate, because it was too late. ​​ They knew he was alive. ​​ They could see him face-to-face, but it didn’t matter. ​​ They didn’t have faith that Reliu was actually who he said he was.

BODY

  • ME

    • Hospital visitations

        • HIPAA laws help to protect us and our health information

        • It can be a little tricky when doing hospital visitations

          • If I don’t have a person’s birth name, I can’t get any information at all

          • There have been a couple of times, when I first started pastoring here at Idaville Church, that I went to the hospital and gave the receptionist the name of the person

          • Here was the response, “We don’t have anyone here by that name.”

          • I knew they were in that particular hospital, but the receptionist was not allowed to give me any more information than that

          • I made a quick phone call and found out that the first name, I knew that person by, was not their birth name

          • When I got their birth name and returned to the receptionist, she was able to give me the room information that I needed

        • Having the correct information was the key

    • Opening a bank account

        • When we moved to California, we went to one of the banking institutions there to set up a joint account for Judy and I

        • After running all the credit checks, they needed to, with our names, dates of birth, and social security numbers, the customer service agent said that I could open the account in my name, but not a joint account with Judy

        • Someone with her name had done something with another banking institution that flagged her name

        • After working through everything, we realized that this person shared her name, but not her social security number

        • Somehow the negative information had been applied to Judy’s credit information and once we got that cleared up, she was added to the joint account

        • The customer service agent didn’t have faith that Judy was who she said she was and that she had not written any bad checks

 

  • WE

    • World Trade Centers on 9-11

        • We’ve all heard stories of families who didn’t know if their loved one was safe after the attacks on the twin towers at the World Trade Center in New York City

        • Some people who were thought to be dead had actually survived, because they weren’t at work that day

        • In some instances, it took hours for them to communicate, that they were safe, with their family and friends

        • Some family members and friends didn’t have faith that their loved one was safe and had not died in the collapse of the World Trade Center towers

 

Jesus had been teaching in the temple courts since the Feast of Tabernacles. ​​ He continued to teach, perhaps every day, between the Feast of Tabernacles and the Feast of Dedication, that was celebrated three months later. ​​ The Jews are still doing the same things that had always done with Jesus – try to catch Him saying or doing something wrong, so they could arrest Him and have Him eliminated. ​​ It is happening again in the temple courts. ​​ They want Him to declare something directly, so they corner Him. ​​ While Jesus hadn’t said it directly, His actions proved what He said about His identity. ​​ The Jews weren’t able to understand this, because they weren’t part of the flock of God. ​​ John wants us to understand that . . .

 

BIG IDEA – ​​ Faith opens our eyes to believe God’s words and works.

 

Let’s pray

 

There are benefits to having insurance coverage whether it is life, health, vehicle, homeowners, disability, etc. ​​ We’re going to see today that there are benefits to having “flock insurance.”

 

  • GOD (John 10:22-30)

    • Benefit #1 – true knowledge (vv. 22-27)

        • Time stamp

          • John gives us a time stamp of when this encounter between Jesus and the Jews took place

          • It happened during the time of the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem

            • The Feast of Dedication was not one of the feasts authorized in Hebrew Scriptures, because it celebrated something that happened in 164 B.C. [Carson, The Pillar New Testament Commentary, The Gospel According to John, 391]

            • Three years earlier, in 167 B.C., the Syrian leader Antiochus Epiphanes desecrated the altar in the Jewish temple by sacrificing a pig on it

            • Judas Maccabaeus, together with his band of guerilla fighters, ran Antiochus Epiphanes out of Jerusalem, and then cleansed the altar and rededicated the temple to the Lord

            • The rededication took places three years to the day

            • This eight-day festival begins on the 25th of Kislev, which is December 25th (Michaels, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, The Gospel of John, 594]

            • We are familiar with the other name for this feast, Hanukkah (it was also called the Feast of Lights)

            • The Feast of Dedication was three months after the Feast of Tabernacles

          • We see that Jesus is still in Jerusalem when the Feast of Dedication begins

          • John tells us that it is winter, which makes sense since it was December

            • This bit of information ties in, with where Jesus is teaching, when He is surrounded

            • He was walking in Solomon’s Colonnade

              • Some scholars believe this note, about Solomon’s Colonnade, is not significant, while others believe it is

              • Solomon’s Colonnade was located on the eastern side of the temple and was about 200 yards’ long

              • During the cold winter months there was a brisk east wind that would blow [Köstenberger, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, John, 310]

              • The Colonnade would protect those who taught there, and their students, from this cold east wind

            • Borchert highlights a unique perspective, about it being winter, when he states, “. . . the thoughtful reader of the Gospel understands that time and temperature notations in John are reflections of the spiritual condition of the persons in the stories (cf. 3:2; 13:30; 18:3, 18; 20:1, 19; 21:3-4).” ​​ [Borchert, The New American Commentary, John 1-11, 337-38]

              • Nicodemus came to Jesus at night, representing that he was still experiencing spiritual darkness (John 3:2)

              • Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus (John 13:30), and pointed Him out for arrest (John 18:3) in the darkness of night, representing his own spiritual darkness

              • The reference, then, to it being winter, here in 10:22, would represent that the Jews hearts were still cold toward Jesus and His identity

              • Application

                • The same can be said of us today – we can be spiritually cold toward God and Jesus

                • What is your spiritual temperature right now?

                • Perhaps you’re feeling cold towards God, because He hasn’t answered your prayers the way you wanted Him too

                  • You’ve been praying for healing, but it hasn’t manifested itself yet

                  • You’ve been praying for a new job with higher pay, so you can get out of debt, but you’re still working the same old job

                  • You’ve been asking the Lord for a boyfriend, girlfriend, or spouse, but nothing has happened

                  • The list can go on and on

                  • When God doesn’t answer the way we want Him too, we can easily slip into feelings of coldness towards Him

                • How do you feel about sharing the Gospel with others or even inviting them to church?

                  • Is there a burning desire to help people understand their eternity without Christ?

                  • Are we apathetic or not interested in sharing the Gospel with others, even though Jesus commanded us to do it?

                  • Are we hesitant to invite people to church, because of the distance they would have to travel or fear that they will reject us?

                • All of this shows our spiritual temperature and where we are with God

                • If you are feeling cold toward God, you can change your spiritual temperature, today!

                • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Ask the Lord to reveal my spiritual temperature and seek to be on fire for Him.

            • We know that it’s winter when Jesus is walking in Solomon’s Colonnade at the temple

          • Verse 24 lets us know that the spiritual temperature of the Jews is cold toward Jesus as they surround Him

        • Trapped

          • Not allies

            • “Gathered around him” can literally be translated, “circle in on him”

              • “They boxed Him in, hemmed Him in, surrounded Him.” ​​ [Courson, Jon Courson’s Application Commentary, New Testament, 524]

              • The same Greek word is used in Luke 21:20, “When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near.”

              • Of the four times this Greek word is used in the Bible, two of them have a military meaning and application [Carter & Wredberg, Christ-Centered Exposition: ​​ Exalting Jesus in John, 221]

            • The Jews are circling Jesus like wild dogs ready for the kill

              • I had a colleague, when I served with Child Evangelism Fellowship in Ohio, who told me about an experience she had while attending Dallas Theological Seminary

              • During the first week, her fellow classmates were questioning each other about their theological beliefs, whether they were Calvinists or Arminianists

              • Somehow they missed asking her until graduation day

              • They cornered her and wouldn’t let her off the hook until she answered them

              • Her response was not original to her, but something that has stuck with me ever since

              • She said, “I pray like a Calvinist, like it’s all up to God, and I work like an Arninianist, like it’s all up to me.” (referring to salvation by predestination and election, Calvinism, or human’s free will to choose or reject salvation, Arminianism)

            • The Jews do not want Jesus to squirm out of answering their question, so they surround Him, they trap Him and then ask their question

          • The Jews’ question

            • “How long will you keep us in suspense?” is how most of modern translations phrase the question

            • Commentators also translate the question in a negative way, “How long are you going to annoy us?”

            • They want a clear answer about whether Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah) or not

              • Jesus had been using metaphors to express that He is the Christ (Bread, Light, Shepherd, and Door) [Michaels, 596-97]

              • Their desire for Jesus to tell them plainly, is not so they will believe in Him, but rather so they can condemn Him

              • Jesus was aware of their intentions and doesn’t fall for their trap

              • Jesus was also aware of how loaded, both politically and militarily, the term “Messiah” or “Christ” was in the 1st Century [Carson, 392]

              • He knew that the Jews were looking for a political and military leader that would set them free from Roman rule – that was their view of the role of the coming Messiah/Christ

              • Jesus did not want to be associated with or forced into their view of the Messiah

              • He wanted them to recognize that the Messiah would be a spiritual leader, directing them back to God

            • Jesus then responds to their question, but not in the way they had hoped

          • Jesus’ response

            • Instead of saying, “Yes, I am the Messiah!”, He says, “I did tell you, but you do not believe.”

              • Jesus claimed that He was the Christ, only once, but it was privately

                • Jesus confronts the Samaritan woman at the well

                • At the end of that discourse we read these words, The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. ​​ When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” ​​ Then Jesus declared, “I who speak to you am he.” (John 4:25-26)

                • Jesus said it plainly in a private setting, but not in a public setting

              • Certainly He told them through metaphors, as I mentioned before (Bread, Light, Shepherd, Door)

              • But, they want Him to say it publicly, directly, and plainly – they want Him to use the exact words they have used

              • The miracles that Jesus did in His Father’s name, are proof that He is the Messiah

                • He couldn’t have done those miracles aside from the power of God flowing through Him

                • God gave Jesus the ability to do the miraculous, as proof that Jesus was His Son – the Christ, the Messiah

            • Unbelief is the problem

              • “Their problem, Jesus said, was not lack of information but failure to belong to his sheep. ​​ His sheep understood his works (10:25) and his words (10:27), the indication of true knowing.” ​​ [Borchert, 338-39]

              • Here’s the kicker, those who truly believed in Jesus by faith were given the ability to understand His works and His words

                • Faith opens our eyes to believe God’s words and works.

                • There are those in our culture today, who want to debate how a loving God can allow bad things to happen to good people

                • There are others who are asking how we know that God is real

                • They are looking for reasons in the Bible to justify their belief that God doesn’t exist or shouldn’t be followed, because He allows famine, hunger, disease, death, and so much more to happen

                • They say, “Why would I want to follow a God who really isn’t loving?”

                • What we see in this encounter with the Jews is that Jesus says, “You all aren’t going to understand that my words and works prove that I am the Messiah, because you haven’t taken the step of faith to believe in Me.”

                • Do we really want to understand God’s sovereign will, His love, His justice, His grace, His mercy, and the rest of His attributes?

                • If we do, then we have to take the step of faith to truly follow Him and become His sheep, whether we have all the answers to our questions or not

                • With faith comes understanding, because we have the Holy Spirit of God living within us to help us understand God’s Word and His ways

                • PRINCIPLE #1 – God’s people understand His words and works.

                  • Read 1 Corinthians 1:18-25

                  • Are you ready stop debating and questioning God?

                  • Are you ready to stop running from Him?

                  • Are you ready to submit to Him by faith?

                  • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Stop trying to justify my unbelief in God and submit to Him, so I can understand His words and works.

            • Benefits of belief – true knowledge

              • Know Jesus

                • As Jesus’ sheep (followers) we know Him and listen to His voice

                • We understand His Word and His works

                • We know what He is calling us to do and we follow

              • Known by Jesus

                • As Jesus’ sheep, we are known by Him

                • This is important for us in light of eternity

                • In order to spend eternity with God, we must be known by Jesus

                • Read Matthew 7:21-27

        • All of the benefits of “flock insurance” are mentioned together as Jesus continues

    • Benefits #2 and #3 – eternal life and security (vv. 28-30)

        • Eternal life

          • Another benefit of being a follower of Jesus Christ is He gives us eternal life and we will not perish

          • This reminds us of John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

            • This does not mean that we will not die physically, but it does mean we will not die spiritually

            • Romans 6:23, For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (eternal separation from God)

            • What is sin? (anything we think, say, or do that displeases God or breaks His commands, decrees, and precepts)

            • It’s the human condition, we are all born in sin

            • David puts it this way, For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. ​​ Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge. ​​ Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. ​​ Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place (Psalm 51:3-6)

            • God says to us in John 3:18 that we are condemned to eternal separation from Him and remain in that state of condemnation until we believe in Jesus and follow Him

            • When we do that we pass from death to life

            • John 5:24, “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.”

          • You can cross over from death to eternal life today

          • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Believe in Jesus so I will not perish, but have eternal life.

          • That’s the best benefit of belief ever, but there’s one more

        • Protection from eternal harm

          • Jesus says that no one can snatch His sheep (followers) out of His hand or His Father’s hand

          • PRINCIPLE #2 – God promises to protect His people from eternal harm.

            • In verse 28, the Greek word for snatch is harpazō and it is in the future tense and indicative mood, which simply means that it is certain that no one will snatch Jesus’ sheep from His hand in the future

            • In verse 29, the same Greek word is used, but in the present tense, which tells us that not only in the future (v. 28) but right now, no one will be able to snatch God’s sheep from His hand

            • “The perishing of true sheep was an unthinkable idea to early Christians. ​​ But contemporary Christians often wrestle with the question because they fail to perceive the logic of the biblical writers. ​​ Moreover, they often fear to read thoroughly texts like Hebrews 6 (diligent to the very end, not lazy). ​​ The biblical writers did not have such a superficial view of salvation that would consider walking down the aisle of a church and going through waters of baptism to be a guarantee of salvation. ​​ Nor did the biblical writers have a superficial temporal view of salvation based on an inadequate understanding of John 3:3 (must be born again to see the kingdom of God) and other passages. ​​ Instead, the biblical writers have no problem placing side by side texts concerning God’s love, grace, and covenant promises with God’s stern warnings to the readers of the Scripture.” ​​ [Borchert, 339]

            • This does not mean that we will not experience hardship and persecution here on earth

            • Jesus stated that we would experience those things, because He experienced those things (John 16:33; 1 Pet. 5:10; James 1:2-4)

            • What we’re promised here is God’s protection until we reach eternity with Him

            • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Claim God’s promise that He will protect me from eternal harm until I see Him face-to-face in eternity.

          • Jesus says one more thing that will drive the Jews crazy

        • PRINCIPLE #3 – God and Jesus are One!

          • While Jesus doesn’t answer the Jews question directly or plainly, they certainly understood what He was saying in this statement

          • He is claiming equality with God

          • In no uncertain terms, He is saying, “I am the Christ (Messiah)!”

 

  • YOU

    • What is your spiritual temperature today?

        • Is it cold?

        • If so, what steps do you need to take to be on fire for the Lord?

    • Do you understand God’s words and works?

        • If so, that is evidence that you are His sheep

        • If not, I would encourage you to take the step of faith to submit to Him, even without having all your questions answered

    • Are you living with the hope that, as God’s sheep, He promises to protect you until you reach eternity?

 

  • WE

    • God has called us, as a body of believers, to help others know, understand, and follow Jesus

    • How are we intentionally doing this?

    • What changes do we need to make to ensure that we are doing this?

 

CONCLUSION

“It has been called the greatest rescue mission of World War II.

 

Late in that war, American bombers were sent on dangerous missions over southern Europe to cripple the Nazis' oil supplies. Hundreds of crews in flying tin cans soared through storms of anti-aircraft shells. Many American pilots were forced to bail from their shot-up planes. The injured airmen drifted by parachute into occupied Yugoslavia, expecting to be captured or killed.

 

Instead, on the ground remarkable rescue teams were already in place. Serbian peasants tracked the path of the floating flight crews. Their sole mission was to grab the flyboys and bring them to safety—before the Nazis arrived.

 

Risking their own lives, the peasants fed and sheltered the downed solders. These rescued men were in friendly hands but on enemy soil. They still needed to escape.

 

The story of what became known as Operation Halyard builds toward a daring mission, a secret landing strip, and a clandestine evacuation plan. Amazingly, those Serbian peasants rescued every single American airman—over 500 in all.

 

Here's the fascinating subplot to the rescue. To travel to the evacuation site, the airmen had to spend weeks following the Serbian freedom fighters, who alone knew the path to the evacuation site. Despite the profound language barriers, the direction, the pace, and the destination were in the hands of their rescuers. The men had been saved from their enemy, but the journey had just begun. They still had to walk to freedom.

 

The story of Operation Halyard sheds light on an important spiritual reality: to be rescued from something sets us on the path toward something.

 

For the airmen it was a journey of survival. For us it's a journey of faith. The One who saved us is now calling us to walk. It's nonnegotiable. Though snatched from spiritual death, we soon discover that the Christian life isn't an arrival; it's an adventure. Christ rescues us then he points us to the path of following him.

 

The apostle Paul describes this active view of the Christian life in his letter to the Ephesians, urging them to ‘walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called’ (4:1).”

 

Dave Harvey, Rescuing Ambition (Crossway, 2010), pp. 63-64.


[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2010/september/3091310.html].

11

 

/by

Do You Believe?

,

Believe

Do You Believe?

(John 9:35-41)

 

INTRODUCTION

“In the late 1940s, Charles Templeton was a close friend and preaching associate of Billy Graham. He effectively preached the gospel to large crowds in major arenas. However, intellectual doubts began to nag at him. He questioned the truth of Scripture and other core Christian beliefs. He finally abandoned his faith and made an unsuccessful attempt to persuade Billy to do the same. He felt sorry for Billy and commented, ‘He committed intellectual suicide by closing his mind.’ Templeton resigned from the ministry and became a novelist and news commentator. He also wrote a critique of the Christian faith, Farewell to God: My Reasons for Rejecting the Christian Faith.

 

Journalist Lee Strobel interviewed him for his book, The Case for Faith. Templeton was 83 and suffering from Alzheimer's disease. He revealed some of the reasons he left the faith:

 

I started considering the plagues that sweep across parts of the planet and indiscriminately kill—more often than not, painfully—all kinds of people, the ordinary, the decent, and the rotten. And it just became crystal clear to me that it is not possible for an intelligent person to believe that there is a deity who loves.

 

Lee Strobel then asked him about Jesus and was surprised at the response. Templeton believed Jesus lived but never really considered himself to be God:

 

He was the greatest human being who has ever lived. He was a moral genius. His ethical sense was unique. He was the intrinsically wisest person that I've ever encountered in my life or in my readings. He's the most important thing in my life. I know it may sound strange, but I have to say I adore him! Everything good I know, everything decent I know, everything pure I know, I learned from Jesus. He is the most important human being who has ever existed. And if I may put it this way, I miss Him.

 

Templeton's eyes filled with tears and he wept freely. He refused to say more.”

 

Lee Strobel, The Case for Faith (Zondervan, 2000), pp. 7-23; submitted by Jerry De Luca, Montreal West, Canada.

 

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2001/december/13397.html].

BODY

  • ME

    • Struggling with my faith

        • I’ve never struggled with my faith to the point of Charles Templeton, where I doubted that God is who He says He is

        • That’s not to say that I haven’t questioned my personal relationship with Jesus a time or two

        • By God’s grace, when I have questioned my personal relationship with Jesus, it has always driven me to seek Him more, not to turn away from Him

    • Hypocrites

        • I know that some people have been turned off to Christianity because of the hypocrites they have seen and experienced in their lives

        • Hypocrites have had the opposite effect on me – I’m not driven away from my faith, but driven forward in my faith to make sure I’m not being hypocritical

        • That is not an easy task

 

  • WE

    • Perhaps all of us can identify a time when we struggled with our faith

        • What did it look like?

        • Was there a turning away from the Lord?

        • Maybe it was just questioning our personal relationship with the Lord and trying to decide if we were really a Christian

    • Some of us may know individuals who have been turned off to Christianity, because of the hypocrites they encountered

        • Fortunately, Christianity isn’t about the hypocrites, but about Jesus Christ

        • If we focus upon Him, we’ll see clearly that He is faithful, true, perfect, loving, gracious, and so much more

 

John is finishing the episode between Jesus and the man born blind. ​​ There are still Pharisees hanging around within earshot of Jesus. ​​ Through His interactions with the man and the Pharisees we’ll see today that . . .

 

BIG IDEA – ​​ Jesus’ presence clarifies our spiritual sight.

 

Let’s pray

 

  • GOD (John 9:35-41)

    • Belief (vv. 35-38)

        • Jesus’ question (v. 35)

          • Jesus takes the initiative when He hears that the man born blind was thrown out of the synagogue

            • “The Jews cast him out of the temple, and the Lord of the temple found him.” ​​ [Chris Austin cited by Gangel, Holman New Testament Commentary, John, 185]

            • He knows the seriousness, of the man being thrown out of the synagogue

            • He would be cut off from all religious and social relationships he once had

            • As a blind person he was able to beg, but now that he had his sight, he would need to find a job

            • That would be nearly impossible with no social contacts

            • It would seem that this man’s life was over – he had no hope

            • PRINCIPLE #1 – God is always with us (omnipresent).

              • As this man found out, Jesus was concerned about him, even when his situation seemed bleak and dark

              • Jesus sought him out and asked him an important question – “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”

              • We can trust that God is always with us and that Jesus will seek us out in our darkest hours

              • He’ll ask us the same question, “Do you believe in Me? ​​ Do you trust me?”

              • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Trust that God is always with me and that Jesus will seek me out in my darkest hour.

              • God and Jesus are always there for us

              • Hebrews 13:5-6, Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have; because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” ​​ So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. ​​ What can man do to me?”

            • So, this man has been thrown out of the synagogue and is perhaps searching for what’s next in his life

            • God knows what is next for him

          • PRINCIPLE #2 – God continually seeks His creation, so they can believe in Him.

            • God wants to be in a relationship with all of humanity

            • He wants everyone to recognize who He is and what He did to take care of our sin

            • We know His will from His Word

            • 2 Peter 3:8-9, But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: ​​ With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. ​​ The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. ​​ He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

            • If you don’t have a relationship with Jesus Christ, God is patiently waiting for you

            • Gospel

              • Sin

                • God knew, before He created humanity, that we would rebel against Him and choose our own way

                • Isaiah 53:6, We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

                • Romans 3:23, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

                • Romans 5:9, Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! (we are being saved from God’s wrath, from eternal separation from Him)

              • God’s love and Jesus’ sacrifice

                • God had His plan of salvation worked out long before we needed it

                • 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: ​​ that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures . . .

                • John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

                • God’s plan was to send His only Son, Jesus, from heaven to earth to take our punishment for sin

                • Jesus did that perfectly!

              • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Believe in Jesus and receive God’s eternal life.

          • Jesus has asked the man a question and his response is to ask Jesus a question

        • The man’s question (v. 36)

          • Who is he, sir?

            • It was a very good question, because the man didn’t know who the Son of Man was

            • This man did not see who had healed him and he would not have known that Jesus was referring to Himself as the Son of Man

            • The man is probably equating the Son of Man with the person who had healed him

              • In the past, the man referred to this person in three ways [Michaels, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, The Gospel of John, 566]

              • “The man called Jesus” (v. 11)

              • He considered Jesus a prophet (v. 17)

              • He also considered Jesus a man from God (v. 33)

            • The Greek word for “sir” is kyrios – the man is simply being respectful toward Jesus

            • We’ll see the second meaning for kyrios in v. 38

          • Eagerness to know

            • Notice the man’s eagerness to know who had healed him – “Tell me so that I may believe in him.”

            • I’m sure we’ve all heard stories of how an individual shows up and helps in a crisis, but later on no one can find that person to thank them

              • We have an eagerness to know who the mystery person is

              • As Christians, we recognize that it is an angel or Jesus, Himself, who came

              • Nancy Tate had an experience like that while on vacation – the man protected her from hitting her head when she passed out

              • Sherl & Judie Shaffer’s family had an experience like that when their grandson had his car accident – the man knew everyone’s name and was telling them that everything was going to be alright

            • Eagerness to hear the Gospel

              • When Wade was ready to believe in Jesus, he couldn’t wait for me to get home from work so we could have our own Good News Club with a Bible lesson and then the invitation

              • I’ve experienced that at least twice this past year when sharing the Gospel with individuals – there was an openness and eagerness to know the Son of Man, Jesus

          • The man’s response to Jesus’ question was a question of his own and Jesus then tells him who the Son of Man is

        • Jesus’ response (v. 37)

          • Jesus seems to do it in a roundabout way, but in doing so He is highlighting the fact that the man can now physically see

            • “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.”

            • Jesus is saying to the man, “I’m the Son of Man! ​​ I’m the One who healed you!”

          • I can only imagine how the man felt

            • The person who had removed a life-long ailment was now standing in front of him

            • He no longer had to guess what Jesus looked like and who He was

            • He was speaking with Him face-to-face

          • The man’s response is incredible!

        • The man’s response (v. 38)

          • The man becomes a follower of Jesus Christ

            • The Pharisees had said that this man was a disciple of Jesus Christ, but he wasn’t a follower of Jesus Christ (a Christian) yet

            • This man, who had never wavered in his faith, even under heavy persecution, was taking the final step toward salvation

            • “Lord, I believe!”

              • As I mentioned earlier, there is a second meaning for the Greek word kyrios

              • The second meaning is “Lord”

              • Through his transformed mind and heart, the man now knows that Jesus is the revelation of God, right in front of him, and consequently addresses Him as Lord [Burge, The NIV Application Commentary, John, 276]

            • At that moment the man was healed of his spiritual blindness

            • Jesus’ presence clarifies our spiritual sight.

            • Everyone and any one can be healed of their spiritual blindness, by believing in Jesus and receiving God’s gift of eternal life

            • I’ve already shared with you how you can do that

            • I want to encourage you to take that step today!

            • The man’s immediate response to being healed, spiritually, is worship

          • Worship

            • The man falls down in front of Jesus and worships Him

              • “This is the only place in this Gospel where anyone is said to worship Jesus. ​​ The verb occurs several times in chapter 4 of worshipping God, and it is found in the same sense in 12:20 . . . The man has already recognized that Jesus came from God (v. 33). ​​ Now he goes a step further. ​​ He gives to Jesus that reverence that is appropriate to God (Morris, pp. 495-96).” ​​ [Gangel, 186]

              • All of this is significant in identifying who Jesus is and where He has come from

                • Jesus accepts the man’s worship, because He is God

                • “Jesus’ silence signals his acceptance of the man’s worship, in contrast to the angel in the book of Revelation in the presence of the prophet John (Rev 19:10; 22:9), or Peter in the presence of Cornelius. ​​ Even though he is ‘Son of man’ (v. 37), Jesus does not, like Peter, tell his prostrate worshiper, ‘Get up. ​​ I myself am a man too!’ (Acts 10:26; see also Acts 19:15). ​​ By giving no answer, he acknowledges his deity.” ​​ [Michaels, 569]

            • PRINCIPLE #3 – God is pleased when His people worship Him.

              • When is the last time you’ve fallen on your face before God to worship Him?

              • Too often we’re concerned about what others may think if we express ourselves in worship, so we stand and sit when we’re told

                • We don’t raise our hands or clap

                • We don’t come to the altar and prostrate ourselves, whether or not the pastor has given an altar call

                • The pastor that Judy and I sat under in California told the story of how he used to be reserved in his worship, until he attended a pastor’s conference where the speaker said that when we worship, the only audience should be God or Jesus and not those around us

                • We can certainly worship the Lord without any of those expressions, but how is God calling you to worship Him?

                • Is He the only audience you have when you worship?

              • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Commit to worshiping an audience of One (God), and be obedient to how He is calling me to worship Him.

        • The man’s salvation is an incredible climax to John’s story about him, but not everyone was ready to take that step

    • Unbelief (vv. 39-41)

        • Jesus’ statement about His purpose in coming to earth (v. 39)

          • He begins His statement by saying that He came for judgment

            • Some individuals try to say that this statement contradicts John 3:17 which says, For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

            • We can’t stop at v. 17, but have to continue, Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son (John 3:18)

            • Jesus came into the world to offer salvation to everyone, but each person has a choice – they can believe or not believe in Jesus

            • When a person makes the choice to not believe in Jesus, they are condemned already, because they are born in sin

            • The condemnation rests with them and not with God – they’ve made their choice

            • Now, when Jesus Christ returns, He will judge those who have rejected God’s plan of salvation

            • Jesus came into the world the first time to offer salvation to humanity

            • When He comes into the world the second time, it will be to judge

          • The second part of His statement clarifies the first

            • There will be some who recognize their sin and turn to Jesus and believe in Him

            • There will be others who think they can see clearly on a spiritual level, and therefore, refuse to believe in Jesus

            • “Christ came to earth so that those who think they have spiritual insight may be shown to be blind, and those who do not suppose they have this spiritual insight may see. ​​ His whole argument centered around a person’s sense of need. ​​ If someone felt no need, he would not see; but those who knew they were blind were the ones who could be made to see (Hughes, p. 164).” ​​ [Hughes cited by Gangel, 186]

          • Jesus was obviously speaking to the man born blind in a public setting, because some Pharisees overheard what He said

        • The Pharisees reaction (v. 40)

          • Who were these Pharisees?

            • We can’t be certain, but there are three possibilities

            • They could have been the Pharisees who believed Jesus was not from God, because He healed the blind man on the Sabbath (John 9:16a)

            • They could also be the Pharisees who questioned how a sinner could do such miraculous signs (John 9:16b) – they were not convinced, like the other Pharisees, that Jesus was not from God

            • It may have been some other group of Pharisees that were not connected in any way with the two groups of Pharisees mentioned above

            • Who they are is less important than their question

          • Are we blind too?

            • Since the Pharisees are not physically blind, it stands to reason that they are asking Jesus if He considers them to be spiritually blind

            • It’s not clear if they believe themselves, to be the blind who will see, or if they are those who see, that will become blind

          • “I remember taking my youngest son to one of the national art galleries in Washington, D.C. As we made our approach, I was so excited about what we were going to see. He was decidedly unexcited. But I just knew that, once inside, he would have his mind blown and would thank me for what I had done for him that day. As it turned out, his mind wasn't blown; it wasn't even activated. I saw things of such stunning beauty that brought me to the edge of tears. He yawned, moaned, and complained his way through gallery after gallery. With every new gallery, I was enthralled, but each time we walked into a new art space, he begged me to leave. He was surrounded by glory but saw none of it. He stood in the middle of wonders but was bored out of his mind. His eyes worked well, but his heart was stone blind. He saw everything, but he saw nothing.”

            Paul David Tripp, Awe: Why it Matters for Everything we Think, Say, and Do (Crossway, 2015), pp. 65-66; submitted by Van Morris, Mt. Washington, Kentucky

            [            https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2015/december/6120715.html]

          • The perspective of the Pharisees was the same as the boy in the art gallery, they had physical sight, but their hearts were completely set against believing in Jesus

          • Jesus’ presence clarifies our spiritual sight.

          • Jesus explains their condition

        • Jesus’ explanation (v. 41)

          • The explanation can seem like a riddle to us

          • What is Jesus really trying to say?

          • If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin

            • Jesus returns to the beginning of the episode about the blind man when His disciples asked Him the question about who had sinned, the blind man or his parents

            • Jesus’ response was that neither the man nor his parents had sinned

            • For the Pharisees, if they recognized their spiritual blindness they would not be guilty of sin, because they would then believe in Jesus and have eternal life – they would see their need to be saved

          • But now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains

            • “To ‘see’ is to recognize who Jesus is and worship him, as the blind man finally did. ​​ In saying, ‘We see,’ therefore, they are lying, for they have not believed in Jesus. ​​ The likely point is that everyone is ‘born blind’ in the sense of being unable to ‘see the kingdom of God’ or enter it without a second birth (see 3:3, 5). ​​ This in itself is not sin. ​​ Nicodemus, for example, was never accused of sin. ​​ The sin comes in the lie that ‘We see,’ and that consequently no new birth is needed or wanted.” ​​ [Michaels, 575]

            • “As Jesus makes clear, it is not the Pharisees’ sin, but their repudiation of grace, that renders them lost (Ridderbos 1997: 351). ​​ There is no cure for people who reject the only cure there is (Barrett 1978: 366; cf. Bultmann 1971: 341-42) and no hope for those who are wise in their own eyes (Prov. 26:12; Kruse 2003: 231).” ​​ [Köstenberger, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, John, 295-96]

          • John 3:19-21, “This is the verdict: ​​ Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. ​​ Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. ​​ But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”

 

  • YOU

    • Every one of us has a choice to make

        • Will you recognize your spiritual blindness and seek spiritual sight, by believing in Jesus?

        • Will you continue to think you have spiritual sight and refuse to believe in Jesus?

 

  • WE

    • As followers of Jesus Christ we have a responsibility to share with others how to receive spiritual sight through Jesus Christ

 

CONCLUSION

“Jesus is clear that it is dangerous for a person to close one's ears, eyes, and heart to the leadings of the Holy Spirit. In The Magician's Nephew, a novel from C. S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia series, Narnia is created when Aslan—the Lion who represents Jesus—sings it into being. The creation song reveals Aslan's majesty and glory. It is a grand ‘call to worship!’ But there is one, Uncle Andrew, who refuses to hear it, and the consequences are staggering.

 

When the great moment came and the Beast spoke, he missed the whole point for a rather interesting reason. When the Lion had first begun singing, long ago when it was still quite dark, he had realized that the noise was a song. And he had disliked the song very much. It made him think and feel things he did not want to think and feel.

 

Then, when the sun rose and he saw that the singer was a lion (‘only a lion,’ as he said to himself) he tried his hardest to make himself believe that it wasn't singing and never had been singing—only roaring as any lion might in a zoo in our own world. ‘Of course it can't really have been singing,’ he thought, ‘I must have imagined it. I've been letting my nerves get out of order. Who ever heard of a lion singing?’ And the longer and more beautifully the Lion sang, the harder Uncle Andrew tried to make himself believe that he could hear nothing but roaring.

 

Now the trouble about trying to make yourself stupider than you really are is that you very often succeed. Uncle Andrew did. He soon did hear nothing but roaring in Aslan's song. Soon he couldn't have heard anything else even if he had wanted to. And when at last the Lion spoke and said, ‘Narnia awake,’ he didn't hear any words: he heard only a snarl. And when the Beasts spoke in answer, he heard only barkings, growlings, bayings and howlings.”

 

C. S. Lewis, The Magician's Nephew (Collier Books), pp.125-26; submitted by Eugene A Maddox, Interlachen, Florida.


[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2001/september/13268.html]

10

 

/by

Deaf, Dumb, and Blind

,

Believe

Deaf, Dumb, and Blind

(John 9:24-34)

 

INTRODUCTION

“When Pierre-Paul Thomas was growing up in Montreal, Canada in the 1940s he couldn't play hockey with his brothers and it broke his heart. Thomas was born blind—long before a cure was available. So for most of his life he could only imagine the world that people often described to him. For years he walked with a white cane to avoid obstacles in front of him. But at the age of sixty-six, Thomas fell down the stairs in an apartment building and fractured the bones of his face. He was rushed to the hospital with severe swelling around his eyes. A team of doctors went to work to repair the bones. Months later he went to be examined by a plastic surgeon for a consultation about repairing his scalp.

 

The surgeon casually asked Thomas, ‘Oh, while we're at it, do you want us to fix your eyes too?’ Thomas did not understand. Nor did he know how to respond. Not long after that, Thomas had surgery and could truly see for the first time.

 

Suddenly his world consisted of bright colors he had never fathomed before. He spoke of being awestruck by flowers blossoming and trees blooming. As beautiful as this story of a sixty-year-old man who was able to see for the first time is, there is a sad reality. He could have had the same surgery at a younger age and been able to see earlier. Thomas had assumed such a possibility was impossible and had resigned himself to a life of blindness when, in reality, he could have experienced the gift of sight decades earlier.”

 

Adapted from Kyle Idleman, AHA: The God Moment That Changes Everything (David Cook, 2014), page 76; original source: Aaron Derfel, "Blind No More," Montreal Gazette (7-27-13).

 

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2014/october/2101314.html].

 

BODY

  • ME

    • Wearing contacts

        • Most of you know that I wear contact lenses

        • My glasses are really thick, so I only use them to get from the bathroom to the bed

        • I have to see the eye doctor every year in order to get a new prescription for contacts

        • They always have me take my contact out and then ask me to read the smallest line on the eye chart

        • I can’t even read to largest line on the eye chart without glasses or contacts

        • Then they put the apparatus in front of my face and begin to flip lenses and turn dials, asking me which one is clearer (1 or 2)

        • Eventually, we get to a point where I can read almost every letter on the smallest line of the eye chart

    • Lasik eye surgery

        • At this point, they are not recommending Lasik eye surgery for me, but perhaps down the road I’ll have that surgery

        • Those who go through Lasik eye surgery eventually don’t have to where corrective lenses or perhaps only reading glasses

    • Dangers of not wearing corrective lenses

        • I need to wear some kind of corrective lenses, especially when driving

        • I could be really prideful and say that I can drive just fine without my contacts in or glasses on

        • It could be very dangerous for me and others if I don’t wear my contacts or a pair of glasses

          • I may not see someone at a distance trying to cross the road and so I wouldn’t slowdown in time to avoid hitting them

          • I may not see a stop sign in time to stop

          • Any number of things could happen that would cause me or other people serious injury and potentially death

        • That’s why my driver’s license has the restriction code of #1 – Corrective Lenses

        • If I allow my pride to go unchecked, it could kill me or someone else

 

  • WE

    • Corrective lenses

        • How many of us wear some kind of corrective lenses?

    • No corrective lenses

        • Is there anyone here this morning that has never had to wear corrective lenses or has never had any kind of corrective eye surgery?

 

Spiritual pride can do the same thing. ​​ It can cause serious damage to us and to others. ​​ The Pharisees are not content with the testimony of the formerly blind man’s parents. ​​ They’ve been challenged by the parents to ask the formerly blind man, since he is of age. ​​ While they have already done that, they don’t know what else to do, so they call him again to question him. ​​ Their spiritual pride makes them blind and deaf to the truth of who Jesus is and what He came to do. ​​ Their spiritual pride will keep them out of heaven, because Jesus is God’s plan to redeem the world, so they can live in heaven with Him someday. ​​ As we will see, . . .

 

BIG IDEA – ​​ Spiritual pride kills.

 

This did not need to be the case with the Pharisees. ​​ Had they believed in Jesus when He was on earth, they could have been healed from spiritual blindness, deafness, and dumbness. ​​ Unfortunately, they continued in their spiritual pride, which meant eternal separation from God when they died.

 

Let’s pray

 

  • GOD (John 9:24-34)

    • Bold witness (vv. 24-25)

        • The Pharisees summon the formerly blind man to interrogate him and question him again

          • Tell us the truth

            • When they tell him to “Give glory to God” they are not meaning to worship or praise God for the miraculous healing that took place (although that is what he does, as we’ll see in moment)

            • Rather, they are asking him to tell the truth about what really happened to him

            • “The statement “Give glory to God” is not a praise statement but the equivalent of a Jewish oath, which the authorities employed to call the man to give an honest witness and confess any sinfulness in his testimony.” [Borchert, The New American Commentary, John 1-11, 321]

              • Joshua 7:19, Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the Lord the God of Israel, and give him the praise. ​​ Tell me what you have done; do not hide it from me.”

              • Jeremiah 13:15-16, Hear and pay attention, do not be arrogant, for the Lord has spoken. ​​ Give glory to the Lord your God before he brings the darkness, before your feet stumble on the darkening hills. ​​ You hope for light, but he will turn it to thick darkness and change it to deep gloom.

            • They are basically saying to the man, “We know that this healing didn’t really happen, that perhaps you weren’t really blind from birth, so just tell us exactly what happened.”

            • They had made up their minds about the man, the healing, and Jesus

            • As a way of helping the man “tell the truth” (the truth they had already accepted) they primed the pump for him

          • Putting words in his mouth

            • “We know this man is a sinner.”

            • The expected response would have been the man breaking down and admitting that Jesus hadn’t actually healed him, but that he had been playing the part of a blind man, since birth, so he wouldn’t have to work

            • True life crime stories and even fictional crime stories inevitably have a scene where the police have a suspect in custody and they are questioning him/her

              • The best evidence for the police is a signed confession from the suspect

              • They’ll use all kinds of tactics in order to get the person to confess

              • Sometimes they’ll make statements that begin with these words, “We know that . . .” (then they lay out what they know or suspect)

              • The hope is that the suspect will finally break and tell them what they want to hear

              • In some cases, this process takes many hours and the mental and physical duress cause the suspect to give a false confession or testimony, because they just want the interrogation to stop

              • It’s similar to what the Pharisees are doing here

            • They want the formerly blind man to recant his previous testimony about what Jesus did and how he is now able to see

            • If the man who was blind will agree with them, that Jesus is a sinner, then that will go a long way in proving that Jesus is not from God

              • The Pharisees are unwilling to see and hear anything that contradicts their beliefs about who the Messiah would be and what He would do when He arrived

              • Spiritual pride kills

                • It kills our ability to hear truth

                • It kills our ability to see truth clearly

                • It even kills our ability to speak kindly and act godly when confronted about it

                • Ultimately, it kills us physically and spiritually (eternal separation from God)

            • The Pharisees were desperately trying everything to marginalize and discount God’s plan of salvation and redemption through Jesus Christ

          • But the man doesn’t take the bait

        • The man’s response

          • He doesn’t agree with the Pharisees and he doesn’t argue with them

          • He simply states the facts, what he knows (“I was blind but now I see!”)

          • PRINCIPLE #1 – God’s desire is that we faithfully share what He has done in our lives.

            • “. . . decisive faith is characterized by the testimony of personal witness.” ​​ [Carson, The Pillar New Testament Commentary, The Gospel According to John, 373]

            • Our responsibility is not to convince or to save people

            • Our responsibility is to faithfully share how Jesus has transformed us by the power of the Holy Spirit, how God has healed us (physically, spiritually, emotionally)

            • We are to plant and water the seeds of faith and trust God to give the increase (1 Cor. 3:6-9)

            • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Share at least one thing that God has done for me (physically, spiritually, emotionally) with a family member, neighbor, or coworker.

              • Take time right now to write down a couple of things that God has done in your life

              • Testimony time (allow individuals to share what God has done for them)

          • While the man doesn’t mention Jesus’ name here, we know from the greater context that, he is talking about Jesus healing his eyes and giving him sight

            • The Pharisees want him to tell the truth (“Give glory to God”)

            • He does tell the truth and in the process gives glory and praise to God (“I was blind but now I see!”)

        • When we are bold for Jesus Christ and tell the truth about what He has done for us, we should expect spiritual attacks

    • Spiritual attacks (vv. 26-34)

        • Looking for inconsistencies (vv. 26-27)

          • Perhaps the reason the Pharisees asked the man to repeat what Jesus did to him and how He opened his eyes was in hope that he would make a mistake and contradict his earlier testimony

          • Maybe they were looking for inconsistencies that would render his testimony void

          • Instead of repeating his story of healing, he challenges them and then asks them a question

            • Challenge – “I already told you, but you didn’t listen”

              • PRINCIPLE #2 – Self-righteousness and pride causes spiritual deficits.

                • The Pharisees had already heard his testimony, but they did not listen

                • They were spiritually deaf to the truth of Jesus

                • Spiritual pride kills (it kills our ability to hear truth)

                • Application

                  • The same is true of us today

                  • Self-righteousness and pride causes spiritual deficits in our lives too

                  • Trying to justify our own sin (gossip, lying, adultery, hatred, pornography, addictions, bitterness, etc.) causes us to be spiritually deaf to the truths of God’s Word

                  • God wants us to be healed and whole, but that means letting go of our self-righteousness and pride

                  • It means listening to His voice through His Word and the wisdom and counsel of other believers

              • It’s probably at this point that the man realizes the Pharisees only what to hear their truth

              • They’re not concerned about fairness, but about pushing their own agenda and “truth”

            • Question – “Do you want to become his disciples, too?”

              • The man’s question reveals that he is perhaps already a disciple of Jesus, but not yet saved (that’s coming next week)

              • This man is not afraid of the Pharisees and will not be bullied into believing the way they do about Jesus

              • He has to know that his question will garner an emotionally charged response

          • That’s exactly what happens

        • Attack #1 (vv. 28-29)

          • They begin to insult him

            • John doesn’t tell us what insults they use, but in verse 34 they accuse him of being steeped in sin at birth

            • We can also imagine that they were probably questioning his intellectual abilities and knowledge of the law (“How dare you lecture us!”)

            • PRINCIPLE #2 – Self-righteousness and pride causes spiritual deficits.

              • The Pharisees are unable to treat this man with dignity and kindness

              • They’re unable and unwilling to express the fruit of the Spirit toward this man

              • The sin of self-righteousness and spiritual pride will do that in our lives – we will act unkind and ungodly toward others

              • That happens simply because we want to be right and are unwilling and unable to hear the truth

          • They try to create a difference between being a disciple of Moses and a disciple of Jesus

            • Disciples of Jesus

              • They refuse to use Jesus’ name, perhaps because they believe that by using His name they are somehow validating Him

              • Instead, they just say, “this fellow”

            • Disciples of Moses

              • ​​ “The Pharisees knew that God had revealed his will through Moses. ​​ This law of God embraced not only the written word (which we refer to as the Pentateuch), but also a mass of oral tradition handed on from generation to generation.” ​​ [Carson, 374]

              • John agrees with their statement that the law was given through Moses, but the total fulfillment of the law comes through Jesus Christ (John 1:17)

              • As disciples of Moses, they should have understood that he was writing about Jesus in the Pentateuch

              • John 5:39-40, 45-47, You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. ​​ These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life . . . “But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. ​​ Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. ​​ If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. ​​ But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?”

              • “The Pharisees were cautious men who would consider themselves conservatives, when in reality they were ‘preservatives.’ ​​ A true conservative takes the best of the past and uses it, but he is also aware of the new things that God is doing. ​​ The new grows out of the old (Matt. 13:52). ​​ A ‘preservative’ simply embalms the past and preserves it. ​​ He is against change and resists the new things that God is doing.” ​​ [Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, New Testament, Volume 1, 326]

            • The Pharisees claim that they don’t even know where Jesus comes from

              • They are not referring to Jesus’ earthly hometown at this point

                • They knew that He was from Nazareth in Galilee

                • They knew He was the son of a carpenter (Matt. 13:55)

                • John 7:27, “But we know where this man is from; when the Christ comes, no one will know where he is from.”

                • “There was a popular tradition that the Messiah would simply appear.” ​​ [NIV Life Application Bible, footnote for John 7:27]

              • Instead, they are referring to where Jesus’ authority comes from

                • Even though they weren’t there to see Moses come out of the Tent of Meeting with his face shining like the sun, they believed the tradition that had been handed down from generation to generation

                • Moses had spoken with God, and they believed it!

                • John 8:14, Jesus answered, “Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going. ​​ But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going.

                • They didn’t believe that Jesus had come from God and that He would be returning to God after completing His mission on earth

                • If the Pharisees had believed that, their entire belief system and teachings would have to change

          • This simple man who had been born blind did not have all of the self-righteousness and spiritual pride to wade through in order to see that Jesus was from God

          • We see in his response that the experiential wins over the theological again

        • The man’s response (vv. 30-33)

          • The man is shocked that the Pharisees can’t see or understand something so simple

            • “What was incredulous to him was that the officials who supposedly represented the perspective of God actually failed to recognize the work of God.” ​​ [Borchert, 322]

            • “He healed me from the blindness I had since birth, so isn’t it obvious that He’s from God!”

            • If He wasn’t from God, He could do nothing

          • God does not listen to sinners. ​​ He listens to the godly man who does his will

            • This was a general belief for Jews and early Christians

            • We know that God does hear sinners, especially when they pray, seeking salvation

            • We also know that sin can hinder the lines of communication between us and God

              • Psalm 66:18-19, If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; but God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer.

              • The Psalmist is saying that if he had refused to repent of his sin or when he holds on to certain sins, that a wall is erected between him and God

              • Fortunately, the Psalmist was not holding on to unconfessed sin – he had kept a short list with the Lord and knew that his prayers were heard

            • “His comment reveals something the reader would otherwise not have known, that Jesus accomplished this miracle (and by extension all of his miracles) by prayer . . . the man born blind is not so much excluding sinners from praying and being heard as simply insisting that the prayer itself must be an act of ‘doing the will of God’ (see Mt 6:10; 1 Jn 5:14).” [Michaels, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, The Gospel of John, 562]

              • Remember what Jesus said to His disciples in John 9:3, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.”

              • This was an act of doing the will of God, so God answered Jesus’ prayer and healed the blind man

              • So, if God answered Jesus’ prayer, then Jesus is from God

          • Healing the blind

            • “Healing the blind is extremely rare in the Old Testament, and connected with extraordinary circumstances (e.g. 2 Ki. 6:8-23). ​​ Jewish tradition reports one or two instances of the blind being healed (Tobit 2:10; 11:10-13). ​​ But nowhere is there a report of a healing of a man born blind (v. 32).” ​​ [Carson, 374]

            • What Jesus did for this man was perhaps unprecedented – it had never happened before

              • That’s why this man says that Jesus was from God – He had done something that no one else had ever done

              • It was probably also why the Pharisees doubted that it actually happened (the reason why they summoned his parents to verify that this was their son and that he had been born blind)

          • The Pharisees don’t appreciate the man’s response

        • Attack #2 (v. 34)

          • Feeling defensive

            • First, they didn’t like being characterized as sinners and ungodly

            • Secondly, they probably didn’t like the history lesson about this kind of miracle never happening before

            • “So convinced are they that Jesus is at best a charlatan, at worst a dangerous sinner, that they do not remember the ancient promises that one of the signs of the dawning of the messianic age is the restoration of sight to the blind (Is. 29:18; 35:5; 42:7).” ​​ [Carson, 375]

          • They basically admit that the man was born blind

            • “You were steeped in sin at birth.”

            • The Pharisees return to their traditional belief, which Jesus’ disciples had referenced in John 9:2, that physical ailments were a result of sin in a person’s life

            • They’re trapped in their own argument and don’t see a way out, so they throw the man out of the synagogue

 

  • YOU

    • PRINCIPLE #2 – Self-righteousness and pride causes spiritual deficits.

        • Spiritual pride kills

          • It kills our ability to hear truth

          • It kills our ability to see truth clearly

          • It kills out ability to speak kindly and act godly when confronted about it

        • Perhaps you’re struggling with spiritual pride today

          • God has spoken to you through His Word and through the counsel of others, but you’re refusing to listen – you have stopped up your ears to the truth

          • Maybe spiritual pride is causing you to not see God’s plan and purpose clearly, because you believe you know better

          • When you refuse to hear and see God’s truth, then you very quickly lose your ability to speak kindly and act godly towards those who confront you

        • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Confess my spiritual pride to the Lord, so I can hear Him, see His plan clearly, and speak and act in a way that is pleasing to Him.

 

  • WE

    • This should especially be evident within the church

    • Seeing 20/20 in Unity – Unity in Relationships

        • “I am committed to speaking positively about people, ministries, leadership, and the mission of Idaville Church.”

        • “I am committed to patience, forgiveness, and non-judgment toward others.”

        • “I am committed to following biblical principles of reconciliation in all circumstances where I feel hurt or division. ​​ These principles are:

          • Forgive and overlook when possible

          • Do not gossip about the offender

          • Approach in humility and with a goal of reconciliation

          • Take responsibility for your part in the conflict

          • Take a trusted brother or sister with you if necessary

          • Take the issue to the church leadership if necessary

 

CONCLUSION

“Whenever we find ourselves valuing the letter of God’s law above its spirit; whenever we find ourselves unable to rejoice in the saving and renewing of lives simply because the instrument used was not someone who dots all the i’s and crosses all the t’s of our theological group; whenever we lose the daily, hourly sense of joy in the grace of God by which alone we know him and live before him, then we need to beware. ​​ ‘Lord, is it I?’ ​​ The only security against Pharisaism is grace, which is perhaps the reason the Lord may from time to time permit us to stumble in our Christian walk so that we may have opportunity to rediscover it.” ​​ [Milne, The Bible Speaks Today, The Message of John, 142].

11

 

/by

Bold or Bashful

,

Believe

Bold or Bashful

(John 9:13-23)

 

INTRODUCTION

ChristianityToday.com writes:

 

“At Upper Arlington High School in the Columbus, Ohio, suburb, students (and some teachers, before they were told not to) are wearing bright yellow ‘I agree with Justin’ T-shirts. They agree with Justin Rule, one of the school's very outspoken Christians, about his faith. ‘I have a problem with the focus being on Justin,’ one senior tells The Columbus Dispatch, but others say it's a creative witnessing tool. ‘If it had ‘Jesus’ in it, people would have had a bigger problem with it,’ says another student. ‘This is just a more subtle way of exploring his beliefs.’”

 

Linda Gehrs, assistant editor, PreachingToday.com; Ruth E. Sternberg, "T-Shirts Back Student Who Expresses Belief," Columbus [Ohio] Dispatch (5-26-00)

 

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2000/june/12472.html].

 

BODY

  • ME

    • Fearless witness

        • How can I pray for you?

        • I used to do it frequently, but have not done it in a while

        • When we would eat out, I would tell the waiter or waitress that we were going to pray for our meal and then ask them if there was anything we could pray for them about

        • We would get diverse responses

          • Some of them would give us a general response, like world peace, or stop hunger

          • Others would give us more specific responses, like the health of a loved one, financial struggles, or big decisions that were needing to make

        • It was one way for us to be bold for Jesus, while having a meal

        • Sometimes it opened up additional conversations about the things of God

    • Fearful witness

        • There have been times in my life when I’ve sensed the Lord leading me to go and share the Gospel with someone, but I’ve been too afraid to follow through

        • I’ve allowed the fear of man to take precedence over the fear of God or the reverence of God

 

  • WE

    • Fearful witness

        • My guess is that we can all relate to the fear of man stopping us from sharing the Gospel with someone else

        • God may have prompted us to share the Gospel with a person at work, in our family, or in our neighborhood, but we were too afraid of what they would think or how they would react to follow through with that prompting

    • Fearless witness

        • I’m certain that we can all think of time when we fearlessly shared the Gospel with another person

        • It took stepping out of our comfort zone, but the reward of being obedient to God’s prompting is unmatched

 

In John 9:13-23 we are going to see two kinds of witnesses. ​​ The amazing thing is that they are related to each other. ​​ From these two witnesses we will have to determine what kind of witness we will be. ​​ Our big idea is a question today . . .

 

BIG IDEA – What kind of witness will you be?

 

Let’s pray

  • GOD (John 9:13-23)

    • Fearless Witness (vv. 13-17)

        • Getting help (v. 13)

          • We have to go back to verse 8 to determine who the “they” are in verse 13

            • It’s the blind man’s neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging

            • They were divided about whether or not the man who could now see was the same man

          • So, these neighbors and acquaintances, who were not accustom to miraculous signs, knew who they could turn to

            • The religious authorities of their day were the Pharisees

            • Certainly they would know what to make of this whole situation

          • The neighbors and friends take the formerly blind man to see the Pharisees, so that everything could be sorted out

        • Side note (v. 14)

          • John gives us a side note here that was not mentioned earlier

            • The day that Jesus healed the blind man was on the Sabbath

            • Why was that so important?

              • There were man-made Sabbath laws that helped the Jews keep the fourth commandment – “Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you.” (Deuteronomy 5:12)

              • There were potentially three Sabbath laws that Jesus had broken by healing the blind man on the Sabbath

                • “Healing itself was forbidden, except for cases where life itself was in danger.” ​​ [Carson, The Pillar New Testament Commentary, The Gospel According to John, 367] (the man had been blind since birth, so it wasn’t a life or death situation)

                • “Moreover, amongst the prohibited categories of work was kneading (Mishnah Shabbath 7:2), and making mud from spittle and dirt might well have struck the leaders as falling under that prohibition.” ​​ [Carson, 367]

                • “And finally, there was a division of opinion amongst authorities as to whether or not anointing the eyes was legal on a Sabbath (B. Abodah Zarah 28b).” ​​ [Carson, 367]

            • This side note is important and should not be glossed over too quickly

          • It is an important note, because it does two things:

            • First, it sets the stage for the Pharisees reaction to the miracle

            • Second, it shows us that the Pharisees are still caught up in the breaking of Sabbath law (legalism) instead of the needs of individuals and what’s best for them

          • Next we see the perspective of the Pharisees as they’re introduced to the blind man and his neighbors and friends

        • Pharisees perspective (vv. 15-16)

          • Pharisees’ question

            • What’s not stated in John’s Gospel, but is implied in the context, is that the neighbors and friends probably told the Pharisees that the man standing before them was formerly blind from birth, but could now see

            • So, the Pharisees ask the obvious question, “How did to receive your sight?”

          • Blind man’s response

            • The blind man tells the Pharisees exactly what he told his neighbors and friends

            • John doesn’t record Jesus’ name or the name of the pool where the man washed, in this part of the text, because it was already stated in verse 11 and the original readers and us would naturally understand that “He” refers to Jesus and that the man washed in the pool of Siloam

            • John simply shortens the description of the events as they are relayed to the Pharisees

            • “He put mud on my eyes . . . and I washed, and now I see.”

            • This description obviously stirs up the Pharisees and causes division among them

          • Division among the Pharisees

            • The focus of the Pharisees is on breaking the Sabbath law, not on the miracle that Jesus performed

            • They were missing the bigger picture – Jesus was the Messiah and He was among them, right in front of them

            • “A customs officer observes a truck pulling up at the border. Suspicious, he orders the driver out and searches the vehicle. He pulls off the panels, bumpers, and wheel cases but finds not a single scrap of contraband, whereupon, still suspicious but at a loss to know where else to search, he waves the driver through. The next week, the same driver arrives. Again the official searches, and again finds nothing illicit. Over the years, the official tries full-body searches, X-rays, and sonar, anything he can think of, and each week the same man drives up, but no mysterious cargo ever appears, and each time, reluctantly, the customs man waves the driver on.

              Finally, after many years, the officer is about to retire. The driver pulls up. ‘I know you're a smuggler,’ the customs officer says. ‘Don't bother denying it. But [darned] if I can figure out what you've been smuggling all these years. I'm leaving now. I swear to you I can do you no harm. Won't you please tell me what you've been smuggling?’

              ‘Trucks,’ the driver says.”

              Todd Gitlin, Media Unlimited: How the Torrent of Images and Sounds Overwhelms our Lives (Henry Holt and Company, 2007), pp. 3-4

              [https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2014/february/3021014.html].

            • The division comes because they are focusing on the wrong thing

              • One group says that Jesus cannot be from God, because He isn’t keeping the Sabbath and the man-made laws they had established to keep the Sabbath holy

              • The other group is struggling with how a sinner can do miraculous signs, since obviously, miraculous signs come from God

              • They have already made up their minds about Jesus – He is not from God and not the Messiah – so they have to prove their beliefs to be true by discounting and marginalizing who Jesus is and what He can do

            • Application

              • We can be guilty of doing the same thing

              • When we hear about someone being healed, but we marginalize and discount the healing, and God, in the process

              • We remain skeptical of the healing, just waiting for the symptoms to come back, to prove our belief that God doesn’t really heal today

              • It proves that our theology of God, being omnipotent (all-powerful), is anything but a sound theological doctrine in our minds

              • I know I had those kinds of feelings for a while with my shoulder (it didn’t hurt anymore, but when would it start hurting again; I was on the verge of having injections to alleviate the pain; it’s been over 13 years since God healed my shoulder; I don’t have those thoughts and feelings anymore)

              • Perhaps you’ve had those same thoughts and feelings

                • God is omnipotent!

                • God still heals today!

                • We have to trust Him while He manifests the healing in our lives, because the healing may not manifest itself immediately

                • Don’t doubt, just believe

              • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Trust that God is omnipotent (all-powerful) and can heal me.

          • Because they can’t agree, the Pharisees turn back to the formerly blind man for his opinion

        • Blind man’s witness (v. 17)

          • The Pharisees want to know what the blind man has to say about Jesus

          • His response shows a fearlessness of the Pharisees and man

          • He tells the Pharisees that Jesus is a prophet

            • The blind man did not call Jesus the Christ or Messiah, which will be key during the questioning of his parents in verse 18-23

            • “‘Prophet’ may well have been the highest position that the man knew to ascribe to Jesus (Morris 1995: ​​ 432).” ​​ [Köstenberger, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, John, 287]

            • “Some of the Old Testament prophets, such as Moses, Elijah, and Elisha, did perform miracles. ​​ The Jewish people would look on their prophets as men of God who could do wonderful things by the power of God. ​​ But the religious leaders did not want to see Jesus given that kind of high designation.” ​​ [Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, New Testament, Volume 1, 325]

          • This formerly blind man was not afraid of what the Pharisees would think of him, because he knew what had happened to him

            • There was no question in his mind that Jesus was sent from God and had God’s power to do the miraculous

            • He was a bold, fearless witness for Jesus

            • PRINCIPLE #1 – God’s desire for His people is that they boldly proclaim Jesus as divine.

              • Jesus is more than just another prophet who was commissioned by God to be His mouthpiece to the nations

              • Jesus is not just another god, He is God!

              • Jesus is divine!

              • Jesus is God with skin on, God becoming flesh and dwelling among us

              • This is what we are to boldly and fearlessly proclaim to a dying world

              • There is only one way to heaven and that’s through Jesus Christ

              • This takes us back to the Spiritual Life Journals that Pastor Marc introduced last week

                • If you weren’t here and didn’t receive one, there are extras in the foyer this morning

                • One of the commitments for unity in the journal is Unity In The Gospel

                • Matthew 28:19-20, Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. ​​ And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

                • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Commit to sharing my faith with those who God puts before me.

                • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Commit to inviting others to join me in our fellowship at Idaville Church.

                • Both of those will require us to step outside our comfort zone and be a bold and fearless witness for Jesus Christ

              • What kind of witness will you be?

        • The formerly blind man was a fearless witness for Jesus Christ, but that can’t be said of his parents

    • Fearful Witness (vv. 18-23)

        • Skeptical Jews (vv. 18-19)

          • The Jews obviously didn’t like the blind man’s response, that Jesus was a prophet

          • They want to discredit his testimony about being healed from blindness

          • “They seem to suspect either that he had his sight all along while pretending to be blind, or that he is a stranger now falsely claiming to be a beggar who was known to be blind.” ​​ [Michaels, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, The Gospel of John, 552]

          • Perhaps they believe that in questioning the blind man’s parents they can poke holes in his testimony, especially if his parents tell them a different story that he did

          • This seems like a wise thing to do and what attorney’s attempt to do today – create reasonable doubt

            • All it takes in a court of law today, to acquit someone, is reasonable doubt

            • If the case is not airtight, then the person should not be charged

            • If you remember the case against O.J. Simpson many years ago there was a phrase that came out of that case – “If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit!” (they were referring to a pair of gloves that supposedly belonged to Simpson, but when he “tried” them on they didn’t fit)

            • That created reasonable doubt

            • The Pharisees were trying to create reasonable doubt in the minds of the Jews, the neighbors, and the friends concerning the healing

            • If they could create reasonable doubt about Jesus and His healing power, then they could discount His claims about being from God

            • All of this would help their cause in eliminating Jesus from the picture and establishing themselves as the spiritual authorities

          • The parents are summoned and asked two or three questions depending on the translation

            • Is this your son?

              • The question tells us that the formerly blind man is there at the questioning of his parents

              • In our modern court system, they would most likely separate the man from his parents and not have them together during the questioning

            • Was he born blind?

              • Now the way they ask the question shows that they are skeptical about whether or not he was actually born blind

              • “Is this the one you say was born blind?”

              • They were not saying that he was born blind

              • They were not convinced that Jesus had actually healed the man from blindness

            • How was he healed from his blindness?

            • I think I would have asked one more question – “Does your son have a twin?”

          • We then see how his parents respond to the questions

        • Fearful parents (vv. 20-23)

          • They fearlessly answer the first one or two questions

            • The first two questions are not hard for them to answer

            • They know that the formerly blind man is their son – they’re not afraid to admit that

            • They know that he was born blind – they’re not afraid to admit that

          • They fearfully refuse to answer the last question

            • What we see from their answer to the third question is a better understanding of the what the Pharisees were really asking

              • The Pharisees wanted to know who had healed their son

              • They were trying to make a case against Jesus

            • They tell the Pharisees that they don’t know how their son received his sight or who did it

              • When something incredible happens to us we usually tell our family and closest friends, right away

              • My guess is that this formerly blind man had obviously told his parents

              • He had been living with them, because he was blind

              • They were too afraid to share that Jesus had made mud, put it on their son’s eyes, and told him to wash in the pool of Siloam

              • They instead, passed the buck, and told the Pharisees to ask their son, because he is old enough to speak for himself, to testify on his own behalf

            • John, the Gospel writer, gives us the reason why the parents do this

              • They were afraid of the Jews

              • The Jews had already made up their minds about Jesus, that He was not the Christ (the Messiah), He was not from God

              • They had communicated their belief to the community and had said that anyone who claimed that Jesus was the Christ would be put out of the synagogue

                • This may not seem that serious to us in our modern culture

                • So, if I get put out of my church I’ll just go to another church

                • There was only one synagogue in each town

                • “Since the synagogue was the center not only of Jewish religious life but also communal life, expulsion from it represented a severe form of social ostracism.” ​​ [Köstenberger, 288]

                  • They not only worshiped God there, but they fellowshipped there

                  • The other Jews were like family to them

                  • In the 1st Century, the temples to other gods had feasts all the time (it was the center of social life for those who were part of the temple)

                  • When our family lived in states where we didn’t have family nearby, the members of our church became our family

                  • We could really learn from our 1st Century brothers and sisters about not just religious life, but also communal life within the church

                  • This isn’t part of the Spiritual Life Journal, but perhaps it should be

                  • “I’m committed to developing the communal life of Idaville Church.”

                • “Being put out of the synagogue meant one lost his ability to pray to God or to be blessed by God. ​​ It meant that his family was to treat him as though he were dead and that his business would be absolutely off-limits to all Jews. ​​ Thus, to be put out of the synagogue was a serious matter.” ​​ [Courson, Jon Courson’ Application Commentary, New Testament, 516]

            • PRINCIPLE #2 – Fear of man can keep us from boldly proclaiming Jesus as Lord (divine).

              • That’s exactly what the blind man’s parents did – they gave in to their fear of man and refused to boldly witness for Jesus

              • “The parents would not have been the first, or the last, who have trimmed the sails of their conviction to the passing breeze.” ​​ [Milne, The Bible Speaks Today, The Message of John, 140]

              • Proverbs 29:25, Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.

              • Isaiah 51:7, 12-13, “Hear me, you who know what is right, you people who have my law in your hearts: ​​ Do not fear the reproach of men or be terrified by their insults . . . I, even I, am he who comforts you. ​​ Who are you that you fear mortal men, the sons of men, who are but grass, that you forget the Lord your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth, that you live in constant terror every day because of the wrath of the oppressor, who is bent on destruction?”

              • What kind of witness will I be?

              • Application

                • The blind man’s parents were not willing to sacrifice everything to be a bold witness for Jesus

                • Their son was willing to sacrifice everything

                  • That may not be saying much, because he didn’t really have anything to begin with

                  • Yet, we see in our modern culture that the fastest growing part of Christianity is among those who are poor and desolate

                  • They know what need is and they only have Jesus to turn to

                  • The blind man had been transformed both physically and spiritually by the power of Jesus Christ

                  • That true transformation made all the difference

                  • He knew that Jesus would keep him safe and comfort him

                  • He knew that God would provide for him even if he was put out of the synagogue

                • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Be willing to sacrifice everything to be a bold witness for Jesus Christ.

 

  • YOU

    • What kind of witness will you be?

        • Bold and fearless?

        • Bashful and fearful?

    • You have to ask that question of yourself

 

  • WE

    • Jesus commanded us to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to obey everything He has commanded us (Matt. 28:19-20a)

    • His promise for our obedience is that He will be with us always, to the very end of the age (Matt. 28:20b)

 

CONCLUSION

“As an under-graduate, theologian/author D.A. Carson co-led an evangelistic Bible study. He confessed that whenever he felt out of his depths, he would take skeptics and doubters to a bold witness on campus named Dave. On one such occasion, a young man who was brought to Dave said, ‘I came from a family that doesn't believe in a literal resurrection and all that stuff. That's a bit much for us. But we're a fine family—a good, church-going family. We love each other, care for each other, and we do good in the community. We're a stable family. So what have you got that we don't have?’

 

Dave looked at the young man and said, ‘Watch me. Move in with me. I have an extra bed. Just follow me around. You see how I behave, what's important to me, what I do with my time, the way I talk. You watch me, and at the end of three months you tell me there's no difference.’

 

The young man didn't take Dave up on that offer, but he did keep coming back to watch how Dave lived his Christian life. Eventually the young man came to Christ and went on to become a medical missionary. Carson concluded what he learned from Dave's challenge:

 

A Christian is saying in effect: ‘I'm one poor beggar telling another poor beggar where there's bread. I drank deeply from the wellsprings of grace. God knows I need more of it. If you watch me you'll see some glimmerings of the Savior, and ultimately you'll want to fasten on him. Watch me.’”

 

Van Morris, Mt. Washington, Kentucky; source: Based on D.A. Carson's sermon titled "Biblical Authority: The Exclusive Authority of Scripture for Faith and Practice" (2008)

 

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2015/january/8011215.html].

11

 

/by

Seeking The Savior

, , , ,

Christmas Sunday

Seeking the Savior

(Luke 2:1-20)

 

INTRODUCTION

“For reasons I cannot quite remember (perhaps the guidebooks or the guide himself told us it wasn't much to get worked up about), I wasn't excited to visit the birthplace of Christ [while on a study tour of Israel in the summer of 2000]. I recall wishing we could spend our time in Jerusalem, but I didn't have a choice. If the group was going to Bethlehem, I was, too.

 

We walked through the dusty streets of the town and soon came to the entrance to the Church of the Nativity. We stood in line for what seemed like hours, winding our way downward into a series of caves (though we often have nativity sets of barns and stables, Christ was actually born in a cave).

 

Once there, I was hushed by the holiness of it all. There were candles lit here, there, and everywhere. Hundreds were on their knees in prayer, scattered about on the cold, damp floor. We made our way to the traditional cave of the birth where we read Matthew's story once again. Soon we were singing. ‘O Holy Night,’ ‘O Little Town of Bethlehem,’ and ‘Silent Night.’

 

Right there in a church building that has been ravaged by war and terrorism and today is owned by four different religious groups, we prayed for peace. We offered a continued invitation for shalom. It was one of the more sacred moments of my life.

 

As we left, I passed by all the pilgrims yet again. Some were from Germany, Poland, or Italy and others from England, Spain, or China. They, too, sang and prayed. Anger and violence wrestled about in all our worlds, but in that moment we had all come together in Bethlehem to worship and celebrate the Prince of Peace who, if anything, was working shalom into the folds of our lives as he will until the day he returns to work it into all things, once-for-all.”

 

Brian Lowery, "Still Unto Us," Christian Standard magazine (12-17-06).

 

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2008/november/6112408.html].

 

BODY

  • ME

    • Seeking the perfect Cabbage Patch Doll

        • During the Cabbage Patch Doll craze my sister wanted one

        • She had specific things she wanted for her doll (blonde hair and saddle shoes were two things)

        • Our family was traveling over the holidays and decided to stop at a Hill’s Department store in some town

        • They were getting ready to hand out Cabbage Patch Dolls at the doors to their back storage area

          • Everyone was told, by the employees, that you had to take whatever doll was handed to you (you couldn’t request a specific doll)

          • While we were waiting, another family stepped in line in front of us

          • I remember that our family was pretty irritated by that, but we didn’t say anything

          • When my sister was handed her Cabbage Patch Doll, it had blonde hair and saddle shoes – just what she wanted

        • God is in control of everything and He allowed that family to step in line in front of us for a reason

          • Had we protested, my sister may have gotten a different doll

          • We had to trust God and be obedient to our Christian values, of being kind and compassionate, even in difficult situations

          • While it was frustrating for a little bit, the end result was beyond our imagination and fulfilled the desires of a young girl

 

  • WE

    • Perhaps all of us can think of a time when we were confronted by frustration concerning something we’ve been seeking

        • Maybe we were seeking a certain item, especially during Black Friday shopping, only to find out that the item had already sold out

        • There are times when hunters have done all of the right things to prepare for the season, only to find out that someone else has harvested the buck, we’ve been scoping out and tracking, prior to opening day

        • It may take quite a bit of travel to eventually find the thing we’re seeking

    • In God’s sovereignty, He allows difficulties to come our way, so we’ll trust Him and many times the end result is beyond our wildest dreams and fulfills our heart’s desire

Through the very familiar Christmas story found in Luke’s Gospel, we’ll see that Mary and Joseph had to travel a long distance in order to be obedient to God through the census decree. ​​ It was probably a difficult journey, especially for Mary who was close to full term in her pregnancy. ​​ The shepherds also had to travel a short distance, after experiencing a frightening encounter with an angel and the glory of God, in order to be obedient to God. ​​ Luke wants us to understand that . . .

 

BIG IDEA – Finding the Savior requires obedience.

 

The Jews were seeking the Messiah (Savior). ​​ They were looking forward to His arrival.

 

Let’s pray

 

  • GOD (Luke 2:1-20)

    • Mary & Joseph’s Obedience (vv. 1-7)

        • PRINCIPLE #1 – God controls all history.

          • God uses the events of this world to accomplish His purposes

          • That’s exactly what He was doing with Caesar Augustus and his decree about a census of the entire Roman world

            • Anyone who doesn’t believe in God or doesn’t believe that God is sovereign will look at Luke’s Gospel and say that the census decree was just a coincidence

            • Individuals who believe in God and that He is sovereign will recognize that God is in control of all history

            • Two examples

              • John Cafarchio told me last week that the Sunday school lesson he taught hit some of the same points that the sermon did last week (that’s not coincidence, that’s God’s sovereignty and His control)

              • Pastor Marc and I were discussing the message he will be sharing on December 29, 2019 and it struck me that God moved some things around, in the preaching schedule, so that the passage of scripture Marc will be sharing fits perfectly with the beginning of the new year and an incredible initiative that will be introduced (I won’t step on Marc’s toes, but God is in control and He orchestrates things perfectly)

              • We could try to manufacture these kinds of things, but it’s much more powerful when God orchestrates them on our behalf (my prayer is that we’ll have eyes to see and ears to hear what God is doing and saying to us, so we don’t miss out on praising and glorifying Him)

            • Application

              • How has God used events or circumstances in your life to accomplish His purposes?

                • Can you recall a specific situation where you saw God work things out, so that you knew He was in control?

                • Are you attuned to what God is doing in your life and at Idaville Church?

                • Are you listening to His voice?

                • Too often we have a preconceived idea of how we want God to work in our lives and how we want Him to answer our prayers

                  • When we focus on that, we will miss what He is doing and saying to us

                  • We have to be willing to submit to His will and plan

                  • When we focus on Him, it will be easy to see what He is doing and hear what He is saying to us

                • God is in control of every circumstance in our lives, so we need to trust Him and follow His lead

              • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Watch and listen for ways that God is showing me that He is in control and then praise and glorify His name.

            • So, Caesar Augustus’ decree was not by chance, but by God’s sovereign providence and plan

          • Everyone went to his own town to register

            • “‘Own Town’ means one’s ancestral home.” [Stein, The New American Commentary, Luke, 106]

              • This is a little different for us today, because the United States is a melting pot of ethnic groups from all around the world

              • Perhaps you’re able to trace your lineage back to a specific country

                • Judy’s maiden name is Doolittle

                • That last name is pretty easy to trace back to England

                • Maybe you have a last name that’s easily traced back to a particular country

                • [Let the congregation share their country of origin]

              • Others of us have a more difficult time of determining our lineage

                • My own lineage is a melting pot

                • We are part Irish (Kennedy), part Swiss German (Rife [Reif], Hykes, & Johns), part Native American (Seneca, from my mother’s side)

                • Tschantz (Swiss German farmers) became Johns in the United States

              • The simplest way for us to relate to our “own town” would be to think about the town where we were born or perhaps the town where our parents were born

                • My parents would claim Chambersburg and Greencastle as their birth place

                • I was born in Huntington, IN

                • [Let the congregation share where they or their parents were born]

                • Just imagine if we had to return to the town where we were born in order to register for taxation

                • “The census, which could be controversial, uses customs that would be the least offensive. ​​ For Jews an ancestral registration would be a most natural way to sign up for taxes (2 Sam. 24).” ​​ [Bock, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, Luke, 204]

                • Caesar Augustus was using the path of least resistance in order to accomplish his goal of tax income

            • That’s what Joseph and Mary had to do, but they had to trace their lineage back hundreds of years to King David and what was considered his home town

          • So, Joseph and Mary set out on their journey

        • Their journey

          • Joseph and Mary were living in the town of Nazareth in the region of Galilee when the decree was communicated

          • They had to travel 70 miles south to the town of Bethlehem in the region of Judea, or 90 miles if they bypassed Samaria

            • [show map]

            • It would take about 33 hours to walk that distance, so it was at least a three to four-day journey for them

            • Bethlehem was at a higher elevation than Nazareth, which explains Luke’s use of, “went up,” even though they were traveling south

          • While it only mentions that Joseph belonged to the house and line of David, we know that Mary could also trace her lineage back to David

            • Mary would not have been required to go to Bethlehem to register with Joseph, because the registration would have been for the entire family

            • But, I can only imagine that Mary wanted her husband to be there for the birth of her first child

            • Both Mary and Joseph had been visited by an angel telling them about the child Mary was carrying

            • I’m sure Joseph didn’t want to miss this incredible birth of the Messiah

          • All of this was taking place because God is in control of all history

            • It was foretold hundreds of years before, that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem

            • Micah 5:2, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.

          • So, Mary and Joseph had to be obedient to God, through the census that Caesar Augustus had decreed, in order to see the Savior

          • Finding the Savior requires obedience.

        • Jesus is born!

          • “While they were there” is a non-specific time identifier

            • Luke doesn’t give us the exact timeframe of how long Mary and Joseph were in Bethlehem before Jesus was born

            • He just tells us that “the time came for the baby to be born”

          • Mary gives birth to her firstborn, a son

            • She does what all mothers did at that time, and used pieces of cloth to wrap Him up

            • The cloths helped to keep the baby warm, but it also helped to keep their arms and legs straight

            • We call this swaddling today

              • Seth and Emily were pros at this with our granddaughter, Kinsley

              • When she would be fussy, they would wrap her up tight in a perfect swaddle and Kinsley would settled down and be able to sleep

              • It gave her comfort and warmth and she felt secure

              • They can’t do this anymore, because she’s rolling over on her own

            • Mary also did something that most mothers probably did not do at that time

              • After she swaddled Him, she placed Him in an animal feeding trough (manger)

              • The reason Luke gives, is that there was no room for them in the inn

                • The inn should not be mistaken for a hotel or motel in our day and age

                • It would be more like a hostel where everything was shared

                • “The ‘inn’ probably refers to a public caravansary (a crude overnight lodging place for caravans), which was the one lodging place in Bethlehem.” ​​ [Stein, 107]

                • The stable was perhaps beside this public shelter in a cave

                • Mary and Joseph took refuge in the stable since there wasn’t any more places available in the public shelter area

              • The unique cradle for Jesus was again by God’s design and purpose

                • We don’t know if there were other babies born that night, but if there were, Jesus would be the only One using a feeding trough as a cradle

                • This would be an important sign for the shepherds, as we’ll see

        • Mary and Joseph have been obedient to God by following the decree to register in their ancestral home town of Bethlehem

        • Luke then tells us of a group of guys hanging out in the fields outside Bethlehem

    • Shepherd’s Obedience (vv. 8-20)

        • Shepherds (v. 8)

          • Who were these shepherds?

            • Some characterize shepherds as dishonest and despised by the culture of the day, but those views come primarily from 5th Century literature and writings

            • “Shepherds in an agrarian society (crops and farmland) may have small landholdings, but these would be inadequate to meet the demands of their own families, the needs of their own agricultural pursuits, and the burden of taxation. ​​ As a result, they might hire themselves out to work for wages. ​​ They were, then, peasants located toward the bottom of the scale of power and privilege.” ​​ [Green, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, The Gospel of Luke, 130]

            • This did not mean that they were dishonest

              • In fact, the shepherd motif in the Bible is primarily positive

              • In the Old Testament we find that Abraham, Moses, and David had all been shepherds at one time in their lives [Bock, 213]

              • The New Testament even uses the concept of a shepherd to identify leaders within a church, and how they lead the church as shepherding (taking care of the flock) [Bock, 213]

            • The shepherds were perhaps taking care of the sheep that were used for sacrifices at the temple

            • Because of their occupation, they were considered ceremonially unclean and could not worship at the temple

            • Read 1 Corinthians 1:26-31

          • So, these peasant farmers who had hired themselves out as shepherds were watching the sheep in the middle of the night, when something incredible happened!

        • Angel’s announcement (vv. 9-14)

          • The shepherds are minding their own business and perhaps talking quietly around a camp fire when all of sudden there is another person there with them

            • They don’t mistake this person for another shepherd or a townsperson, because God’s glory is shining around them

              • Isaiah 60:19, The sun will no more be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.

              • Revelation 21:23, The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.

            • In the darkness of night, it becomes like daylight

              • What do cockroaches do when we turn a light on? ​​ (they scatter in fear)

              • What’s our reaction when we’ve been in the darkness for a long time and sudden a bright light is turned on? ​​ (we may jump because of being startled)

              • The shepherd’s reaction is no different (they are terrified)

          • The angel’s words

            • “Do not be afraid”

              • This is not the first time that the angel of the Lord has had to comfort those to whom he has visited and brought a message

              • He had to do the same thing with Zechariah (Luke 1:12-13) and Mary (Luke 1:29-30) [Butler, Holman New Testament Commentary, Luke, 29]

            • “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people”

              • Good news

                • The Greek word for “good news” is euangelizomai and means “to proclaim and preach the good news” [Bock, 215; Stein, 108]

                  • The good news was that on that same day in Bethlehem a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord

                  • Savior (soter) – Jesus will deliver His people [Mary (Luke 1:46-55) and Zechariah’s (Luke 1:67-79) hymns expressed this truth]

                  • Christ – it comes from the Greek word for “Anointed One” and speaks of Jesus’ as the Messiah (the promised One)

                  • Lord – “the holy, unspeakable personal name of God himself” [Butler, 30]

                • This Greek verb (euangelizō) and noun (euangelion) are where we get our English word evangelism

                • We’re commanded to do the same thing that the angel did with the shepherds, proclaim and preach the good news of Jesus Christ

              • Great joy

                • The message of the Gospel (good news) should bring us great joy

                • “Gospel elicits joy, not fear. ​​ Joy is the inward feeling of happiness and contentment that bursts forth in rejoicing and praise.” [Butler, 29]

              • All the people

                • PRINCIPLE #2 – Jesus came for all people.

                  • Now this doesn’t mean we’re automatically guaranteed salvation and heaven

                  • We’re all born with a desire to have our own way (it’s called our sinful nature)

                  • David spoke about being sinful from the time he was conceived, which means from the time life begins in the womb (Rom. 3:23)

                  • Jesus came to take the punishment we deserve, for our sinful, rebellious nature (Rom. 6:23; 1 Cor. 15:3-4)

                  • John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

                • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Believe in Jesus and His perfect sacrifice for my sins on the cross and receive God’s gift of eternal life.

            • The sign

              • The angel doesn’t command the shepherds to go into Bethlehem and find Jesus, but what the angel says next is specific information on how to identify the correct baby

              • So, it’s implied that they should go to Bethlehem and check out this incredible baby

              • They’ll know they’ve found the right place when they find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger (feeding trough)

          • What the shepherds get next is a heavenly choir concert

            • A great company of angels join the angel who had told them about Jesus and they begin to worship God

            • They glorify God, because He has fulfilled His promise of sending a Savior

            • This Savior is going to bring peace between God and those in humanity who believe in Jesus, repent of their sins, and accept His gift of eternal life (on whom his favor rests)

            • PRINCIPLE #3 – Jesus brings peace between God and humanity.

              • Romans 5:1-2, Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. ​​ And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.

              • Ephesians 2:14-16, For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. ​​ His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.

          • As soon as the angels returned to heaven the shepherds started talking among themselves

        • Shepherd’s response (vv. 15-20)

          • Let’s go!

            • The shepherds understood the implied message from the angel

              • They couldn’t wait to see with their own eyes what the Lord had made known to them

              • They had to obey what the Lord had told them through the angel

              • Finding the Savior requires obedience.

            • PRINCIPLE #4 – God’s desire is that His people seek Jesus.

              • That’s exactly what the shepherds did

              • They found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger

              • The idea behind the word found is that they searched, without stopping, until they found the right baby

              • That’s perhaps where some of us are today

                • We’ve been searching for true peace

                • We’ve looked at many different religions, but still haven’t found the peace of God

                • If that’s you, I want to encourage you to keep searching, keep seeking, until you find Jesus

                • Don’t ever give up

                • He came for you!

            • After the shepherds found Jesus they didn’t just sit there at the manger for the rest of their lives, rather, they started telling other people about Him

          • Let’s share!

            • They told everyone what they had seen and heard about Jesus, the Messiah

            • Those who heard were amazed

              • That doesn’t mean that they believed in Jesus as the Messiah or their Savior

              • The same will be true for us when we share with others about Jesus

                • They may see a radical change in us and think how amazing that transformation is, but still not believe in Jesus as their Savior

                • Some people are excited for us and that it “worked” for us, but still not believe it will “work” for them

                • Our responsibility isn’t to save them, but to faithfully share the Gospel (good news) with them

                • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Faithfully share the Gospel with those I come in contact with.

                  • I would encourage you to begin praying each day for divine appointments to share the Gospel and then be on the look out

                  • Jesus commanded His disciples and us to do this continually (Matt. 28:18-20)

                  • Making disciples is more than just a quick Gospel presentation and a prayer

                  • When someone responds to the Gospel it means walking together with them as they grow in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18)

                  • That takes a lifetime

              • Mary was contemplative and took Jesus’ miraculous birth and the incredible story of the heavenly host that the shepherds shared with her and remembered them with fondness – it would be something she would never forget, but return to continually as she raised Jesus

            • The shepherds weren’t done

          • Let’s rejoice!

            • After seeing Jesus and telling others about Him, they returned to the fields outside Bethlehem, but they didn’t do it quietly

            • They glorified and praised God for all that He had done

            • Application

              • Have we done that recently?

              • Let’s do that this morning

                • We added 2 new members this past year (“Thank you God, we praise You!”)

                • We know of 2 individuals who accepted Jesus as their Savior (“Thank you God, we praise You!”)

                • There were 8 people baptized this year (“Thank you God, we praise You!”)

                • There were 5 children dedicated to the Lord ((“Thank you God, we praise You!”)

                • There were people who were healed this year through supernatural means or through surgery (“Thank you God, we praise You!”)

                • There were people who were spared even though they went through an accident (“Thank you God, we praise You!”)

                • There were individuals and families who experienced restored relationships (“Thank you God, we praise You!”)

                • We had individuals in our lives who were promoted to heaven (“Thank you God, we praise You!”)

            • God is worthy of our praise and worthy to be glorified!

 

  • YOU

    • God controls all history, including the circumstances you are currently going through

    • Jesus came for all people to bring peace between God and us

    • God’s desire is that we seek Jesus

 

  • WE

    • As a body of believers we need to share the Gospel with others

    • As a body of believers we need to rejoice in what God has done

 

CONCLUSION

As you celebrate Christ’s birth with family this Christmas, take time to remember the significance of what God did in fulfilling His plan of salvation through His One and only Son, Jesus Christ. ​​ Make sure that you are seeking the Savior during this season and all year long.

13

 

/by

Experiencing God

, ,

Believe

Experiencing God

(John 8:48-59)

 

INTRODUCTION

“A fascinating story appeared in Time magazine a few years ago.

 

By day, Randolfe Wicker, 63, runs a lighting shop in New York City. ​​ But in his spare time, as spokesman for the Human Cloning Foundation, he is the face of cloning fervor in the U. S. ​​ ‘I took one step in this adventure, and it took over me like quicksand,’ says Wicker. ​​ He is planning to have some of his skin cells stored for future cloning. ​​ ‘If I’m not cloned before I die, my estate will be set up so that I can be cloned after,’ he says, admitting, however, that he hasn’t found a lawyer willing to help. ​​ ‘It’s hard to write a will with all these uncertainties,’ he concedes. ​​ ‘A lot of lawyers will look at me crazy.’

 

As a gay man, Wicker has long been frustrated that he cannot readily have children of his own; as he gets older, his desire to reproduce grows stronger. ​​ He knows that a clone would not be a photocopy of him but talks about the traits the boy might possess: ‘He will like the color blue, Middle Eastern food and romantic Spanish music that’s out of fashion.’ ​​ And then he hints at the heart of his motive. ​​ ‘I can thumb my nose at Mr. Death and say, ‘You might get me, but you’re not going to get all of me,’’ he says. ​​ ‘The special formula that is me will live on into another lifetime. ​​ It’s a partial triumph over death. ​​ I would leave an imprint not in sand but in cement.’ (Gibbs, “Baby, It’s You!”).”

 

[Carter & Wredberg, Christ-Centered Exposition: ​​ Exalting Jesus in John, 200].

 

BODY

  • ME

    • Maturity and transformation

        • Judy will tell you that she saw a transformation take place in me, as it pertains to studying God’s Word, after I was laid off from Child Evangelism Fellowship

        • I guess that event, as hard as it was for me to go through, only drew me closer to the Lord

        • It was a time of great growth and maturity for me

        • I was evaluating my life and God’ purpose for it

        • It was several years later that God confirmed His calling on my life to serve in pastoral ministry

        • Times of hardship always drive me to spend more time with the Lord, so I can truly know Him and keep His Word

 

  • WE

    • Hardship

        • When we go through hardships it can cause us to reevaluate our lives

        • When an illness hits us or a close family member, we think more about life and death

        • We think about spiritual things and about eternity and life after death

        • Some people fear death, especially those who are younger, because they have so much life to live (they haven’t experienced everything they’ve wanted to, yet)

 

Jesus is completing His Temple Discourse with these final verses in chapter 8. ​​ In chapter 9 we’ll see a transition that takes place. ​​ As Jesus finishes speaking at the temple courts, He shares with the crowd that He is eternal. ​​ This does not settle well, especially since the crowd is stuck on the literal instead of the spiritual. ​​ He will explain the importance of knowing God and keeping His Word. ​​ He will also express that physical death is not the end for those who keep His word. ​​ What Jesus wants us to understand is that . . .

 

BIG IDEA – Those who know God will keep His Word and have eternal life.

 

Let’s pray

 

  • GOD (John 8:48-59)

    • Keeping Jesus’ Word (vv. 48-53)

        • Name-calling

          • Protecting our family

            • It seems to be a part of the DNA of every family that we stick together and protect each other when one of the members comes under attack

            • We may not be getting along with a particular family member, but if someone, outside the family, attacks them we’re pretty quick to come to their defense (blood is thicker than water)

            • When I was growing up, the “Your momma” jokes were pretty popular

              • Each person would try to outdo the other person with slams against their momma

              • It usually started with the statement, “Your momma is so . . . that . . .”

              • I’m glad that’s not a trend anymore, at least that I’m aware of

              • If you’re still using those, I’d encourage you to stop (we want to honor our mothers and fathers)

            • When our family is threatened, we will sometimes revert to name-calling or speaking ill of the other person, in an effort to protect our family and to make ourselves feel better

          • That seems to be what’s happening here with the Jews who believed Jesus

            • Last week, we saw that the Jews where trying to use their physical heritage as justification for salvation and entrance into heaven

              • They claimed to be Abraham’s descendants which meant, in their minds, that they were free from slavery to sin, but Jesus refuted that by saying that everyone who sins is a slave to sin (their physical heritage didn’t count, it didn’t save them)

              • Next, they claimed to be Abraham’s children which meant, in their minds, that morally and ethically they were still going to heaven without having to hold to Jesus’ teachings or believe in Him, but Jesus refuted that by saying that they weren’t doing the things that Abraham did (their actions and words proved that Abraham was not their father)

              • Finally, they claimed that God was their father, but Jesus said that wasn’t true, because He had come from the Father and they did not love or accept Him

              • In refuting the believing Jews, Jesus said three times that they were listening to and doing what their father does – it wasn’t God, but rather the devil

            • All of that leads up to what we see in verse 48 today

          • Samaritan and demon-possessed (v. 48)

            • The way in which the Jews attack Jesus shows that what He has said about them is true – they listen to and do the work of their father, the devil

              • If Jesus was questioning their heritage, then they are going to question His

              • If their father is the devil, then Jesus must be demon-possessed

            • Samaritan

              • The first part of their question referenced that Jesus was a Samaritan

              • This was a particularly harsh designation

                • The Samaritans were considered half-breeds by the Jews (half-Jew and half-Gentile)

                • There were certain Jews who remained in Assyria after their captivity had ended and they intermarried with the Assyrian people

              • “For a Jew to be called a Samaritan was the grossest of insults . . .” ​​ [Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, New Testament, Vol. 1, 323]

              • The Samaritans were later associated with demonic and cultic magic [Borchert, The New American Commentary, John 1-11, 307]

            • Demon-possessed

              • Perhaps the two designations were actually one in the same

              • The Samaritans were known for worshipping many gods, which could lead to the idea of them being demon-possessed [Michaels, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, The Gospel of John, 523]

              • “It may simply be that Jesus’ accusers thought that for a Jew to question the paternity of other Jews was so despicable that only demon-possession could explain it.” ​​ [Carson, The Pillar New Testament Commentary, The Gospel According to John, 355]

            • I find it intriguing that when Jesus says the Jews are following their father, the devil, that their response is that He is demon-possessed, which would mean that they are both following the devil (“If we’re not God’s children, then neither are You.”)

            • Matthew 12:22-28, Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see. ​​ All the people were astonished and said, “Could this be the Son of David?” ​​ But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “It is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.” ​​ Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. ​​ If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. ​​ How then can his kingdom stand? ​​ And if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your people drive them out? ​​ So then, they will be your judges. ​​ But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

            • The Jews are perhaps so enraged that they cannot see God’s work through Jesus

          • Jesus doesn’t even acknowledge their claim that He’s a Samaritan, but rather addresses their claim that He is demon-possessed

        • Honoring God (vv. 49-50)

          • Jesus denies that He is demon-possessed

            • Jesus is obviously not demon-possessed

            • Rather He is from God

          • Honor and shame society

            • Honor and shame were very important in the 1st Century culture

              • It was pretty serious if a child dishonored his/her parents

              • The punishment for a stubborn and rebellious son who would not obey his parents after being disciplined was to bring him before the elders at the gate of the town where they would stone him so that evil would be purged from among them (Deut. 21:18-21)

              • It was equally serious for a person to shame another person

            • Perhaps the Jews felt dishonored and shamed when Jesus refuted all their claims to Abraham’s heritage, yet Jesus was telling the truth as God saw it

            • Jesus tells them that His words and His actions are all done to honor His Father, God

              • Jesus isn’t doing or saying anything that God has not told Him to say or do

              • He is not doing or saying anything that is self-seeking or trying to bring Himself glory

            • God is seeking glory, because He is God

              • This is not a self-seeking or arrogant statement that Jesus is making

              • Westminster Shorter Catechism, Question 1

                • What is the chief end of man?

                • Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.

                • 1 Corinthians 10:31, So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

                • Romans 11:36, For from him and through him and to him are all things. ​​ To him be glory forever! ​​ Amen.

              • God is seeking glory from His creation, because He is the Creator

              • God is also the Judge

                • As sovereign, He has the right to rule and He rules rightly

                • He is Holy (perfect), so we know He will judge fairly and equitably

                • He is Righteous, so we can trust that His judgements will be right and correct

            • Dishonoring Jesus

              • “In a non-Western society the experience of honor and shame has always been viewed as an extremely crucial reality. ​​ The dishonoring of a person was regarded as practically inexcusable.” [Borchert, 306]

              • Jesus doesn’t hesitate to call the Jews on the carpet for dishonoring Him

              • Jesus has not dishonored the Jews by saying their father is the devil, because He is speaking the truth and they know it

              • The Jews calling Jesus a Samaritan and demon-possessed is false – there is no truth in it, therefore, they had dishonored Him

              • Application

                • We are just as guilty of dishonoring Jesus and God with our lives

                • We may not call Jesus a Samaritan or demon-possessed, but our words, actions, and attitudes prove that our father is the devil

                • Perhaps we don’t do everything to the glory of God

                • Maybe we use words that are not honoring to God or Jesus (taking the Lord’s name in vain or using God and Jesus’ names as a curse word)

                • Sometimes our attitudes, thoughts, and actions are not God-honoring

                • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Take time to evaluate my life and see if there is anything that is not God-honoring and make the commitment to stop doing those things.

          • Perhaps Jesus spent more time explaining how the Jews had dishonored Him, but in this passage He seems to move quickly over that to the most important part of His message

        • Eternal life (v. 51)

          • Keeps my word

            • Last week we saw that Jesus explained to the Jews that they needed to hold to His teaching to become true disciples

            • Now, He tells them that they need to keep His word in order to never see death

              • Jesus is saying the same thing, but in a different way

              • To “keep” means “to attend to carefully, take care of, and specifically to observe”

              • Observe is defined as, “notice or perceive (something) and register it as being significant”

              • Jesus wants the Jews and us to notice and register His word as being significant

            • John 5:24, “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.”

          • Never see death

            • “Never see death” is the negative way of saying “has eternal life”

            • 1 John 1:1-4, That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched – this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. ​​ The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. ​​ We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. ​​ And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. ​​ We write this to make our joy complete.

            • PRINCIPLE #1 – Jesus provides eternal life.

              • Those who know God will keep His Word and have eternal life.

              • We have to notice and register that God’s Word is significant, inerrant, and applicable to our lives today

                • John 3:36, Whoever believes the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.

                  • We are being saved from God’s wrath

                  • His wrath remains on us, because we have not accepted His plan of redemption, His plan of eternal life, and because everyone is born in sin

                  • Psalm 51:5, Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

                  • We have all sinned (Rom. 3:23)

                  • We deserve to be punished for our sins (Rom. 6:23)

                  • God loved us so much that He made a way so we wouldn’t have to take our own punishment for sin (Rom. 5:8)

                  • Jesus fulfilled God’s plan for eternal life (1 Cor. 15:3-4)

                  • Each person has to believe in Jesus and what He said about eternal life in God’s Word

                  • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Believe in Jesus and receive God’s gift of eternal life.

                • Jesus is the only way for us to have eternal life

                • That’s what Scripture tells us, so we have to keep God’s Word

          • Jesus’ statement that keeping His word would guarantee that they would not see death was too hard for the Jews to believe

        • Spiritual over literal (vv. 52-53)

          • Jesus’ statement was proof and justification for their claim that He was demon-possessed

          • Death had already come

            • The Jews were thinking in the physical realm

            • Abraham and the prophets of old had died physically

            • So, how could Jesus say that if they kept His word that they would never taste death

            • Matthew 22:31-32, But about the resurrection of the dead – have you not read what God said to you, “I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob”? ​​ He is not the God of the dead but of the living.

              • From God’s perspective, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were not dead, because they had received eternal life

              • Read Hebrews 11:10, 13-16

              • The same would be true of the prophets – they were looking forward to the new heaven and the new earth

          • The Jews had to stop thinking literally and start thinking spiritually

            • When Jesus said they would never see death, He was not talking about physical death

            • Jesus was talking about spiritual death

              • “He is not suggesting that his disciples will never experience physical dissolution. ​​ Rather, they will never have to confront death in its terror as the occasion of final separation from God; death as the curse of sin.” ​​ [Milne, The Bible Speaks Today, The Message of John, 135]

              • “You see, for those who know Jesus, death is neither annihilation nor termination. ​​ Death is transformation because the moment we close our eyes in the final minute of this life, we’ll see Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:8). ​​ And in seeing Him, we’ll become like Him (1 John 3:2).” ​​ [Courson, Jon Courson’s Application Commentary, New Testament, 510]

                • 2 Corinthians 5:8, We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.

                • 1 John 3:2, Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. ​​ But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

                • We are guaranteed the same thing – we will never see or taste spiritual death when we keep Jesus’ and God’s Word – when we accept God’s Word concerning faith in Jesus being the only way to heaven

            • The Jews needed to change their perspective

            • “When I was a boy growing up outside of New York City, I was an avid fan of the Brooklyn Dodgers. In fact, I have not yet quite forgiven them for moving west. The archenemy in my childhood was the New York Yankees. I had seen them only on television and heard them only on the radio until I was invited by my father to skip school and to go to the World Series game between the Yankees and the Dodgers. I'll tell you, it was one of the great thrills of my childhood. I remember sitting there, smelling the hot dogs and hearing the cheers of the crowd and the feel of it all. I knew those Dodgers were going to shellac those Yankees once and for all. Unfortunately, the Dodgers never got on base, so my thrill was shattered. I tucked it away somewhere in my unconscious until, as an adult, I was in a conversation with one of these fellows who was a walking sports almanac. I mentioned to him when I went to my first major league game. I said, ‘It was such a disappointment. I was a Dodger fan and the Dodgers never got on base.’

              He said, ‘You were there? You were at the game when Don Larsen pitched the only perfect game in all of World Series history?’

              I said, ‘Yeah, but, uh, we lost.’ I was so caught up in my team's defeat that I missed out on the fact that I was a witness to a far greater page of history.

              Leith Anderson, "Unlistened-to Lessons of Life," Preaching Today, Tape 48.

              [              https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/1995/november/1178.html]

            • The Jews were missing out on a far greater page of history, because they couldn’t see past the literal and physical to the spiritual

        • They want to know who Jesus thinks He is

          • Does Jesus really believe He’s greater than their father, Abraham?

          • The question has changed from “Who are you?” (John 8:25) to “Who do you make yourself out to be?” (John 8:53)

        • We’ll see that Jesus points to the Father in answering their question

    • Keeping God’s Word (vv. 54-55)

        • I am nothing

          • In the heat of an argument or tense discussion, we are often tempted to share our credentials when someone challenges us (“Well, let me tell you who I am!!!”)

          • That was not what Jesus did

            • The Jews obviously believed that Jesus’ mission was “self-appointed and his claims are self-exalting.” ​​ [Köstenberger, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, John, 271]

            • In humility and meekness, Jesus said, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing.”

            • It’s so much better when someone else shares who we are, with others

          • God the Father is the key to who Jesus is [Milne, 135]

        • God glorifies Jesus

          • PRINCIPLE #2 – Jesus is deity (He is One with God)

            • Jesus again claims deity when He says “My Father . . . is the one who glorifies me.”

            • God is the One who is speaking on behalf of Jesus and telling the world who He is

            • God is the One who is glorifying Jesus and not Jesus Himself

          • Jesus’ Father is the same person that the Jews claim as their God

            • They think they know who God is and what He requires of them

            • We do the same thing today

              • We may hold to things we were taught many years ago that are sometimes not Biblical

              • We believe that a particular interpretation or application of God’s Word is right, because it agrees with what we believe – it makes us feel better about ourselves

              • We take one verse (sometimes out of context) and form a theology around that verse

              • We proof-text verses or passages of Scripture to make it say what we want it to say

              • We read into Scripture our preconceived ideas even when that was not what was being said to the original hearers

              • When we do any of those things, we are basically saying that we know God and what He requires of us

              • We smooth off the rough edges (all the hard sayings and challenging commands) of the Gospel and what God requires of true disciples, so we feel better about our Christian walk

            • Yet, Jesus says that the Jews don’t truly know God

              • He could say the same of us

                • Do we truly know God?

                • Have we really submitted our lives to His Word?

                • Have we allowed the Holy Spirit to really teach us the truths of God’s Word?

                • Or have we continued to believe what we want about the Gospel and God’s commands, so that we feel like we can accomplish His purposes in our own strength

              • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Evaluate what I know about God and seek to truly know Him and keep His Word.

          • Jesus explains that He knows God

        • Jesus knows God

          • He would be a liar, like the Jews, if He said He didn’t know God

            • Jesus is basically saying that the Jews are lying about knowing God

            • Last week we saw that the Jews were not really Abraham’s children or God’s children

              • They didn’t welcome Jesus as a divine messenger and they didn’t love Him

              • They weren’t obedient to God by holding to Jesus’ teachings or keeping His word

        • PRINIPLE #3 – Jesus is obedient to God and His Word.

          • Jesus is the perfect example of what He is asking the Jews to do in order to experience eternal life

          • He said that if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death

            • This truth would be played out through Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection, and ascension

            • Jesus would experience physical death and through that take the punishment for humanity’s sin

            • God accepted Jesus’ perfect sacrifice on the cross by allowing Him to come alive again on the third day (He won over sin and death)

            • Jesus is still alive today and offers to His disciples the same resurrection power!

          • We have to follow Jesus’ lead

          • Those who know God will keep His Word and have eternal life.

        • Jesus tells the Jews that their father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing God’s plan of salvation come to fruition

    • Jesus is Eternal (vv. 56-59)

        • Abraham rejoiced

          • Abraham obviously didn’t see Jesus’ day as it happened

          • “The coming of Jesus as the Savior of mankind was what Abraham was rejoicing about. ​​ He believed God would fulfill his promise of a Savior who would reconcile sinners to a perfect God.” ​​ [Carter & Wredberg, 205]

        • The Jews were still looking at the natural instead of the eternal

          • The Jews response tells us that they are unwilling to accept that Jesus was pre-existent

            • How would Jesus know that Abraham rejoiced at the thought of Jesus’ coming and that Abraham was glad when he saw it

              • How could Jesus have seen Abraham

              • By the 1st Century Abraham would have been dead for nearly two thousand years [Carter & Wredberg, 204]

            • Jesus wasn’t even 50 years old yet

              • “The age of fifty was commonly considered to mark the end of a man’s working life and his attainment of full maturity (cf. Num. 4:3, 39; 8:24-25; m. ʾAbot 5.21; see Beasley-Murray 1999: ​​ 139). ​​ Jesus, the Jews may be saying, has not even reached full maturity, and he makes claims such as having seen Abraham.” ​​ [Köstenberger, 272-73]

              • I just turned 50 this year, so I guess I’ve finally reached full maturity

          • The only explanation is that Jesus is preexistent

        • I am!

          • PRINCIPLES #4 – Jesus is preexistent.

            • Jesus tells them directly that He existed before Abraham was even born

            • Jesus uses the “I am” statement that God had used in the Old Testament

            • Exodus 3:14, God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. ​​ This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”

            • Jesus is claiming equality with God – Jesus and God are One

          • “Extending the present into the past does not compute in most of our minds. ​​ It is a confusion to the way we think. ​​ But God does not fit into the teacups of our minds. ​​ More pertinent for our purposes, however, is the fact that Jesus claimed to be ‘I am’ over against Abraham. ​​ That claim was a reminder of the claims for God in the Old Testament over against creation (cf. Ps 90:2; Isa 42:3-9) and of the self-designation for the comforting God of Isaiah (41:4; 43:3, 13).” ​​ [Borchert, 309]

        • Unbelief

          • Accepting Jesus as preexistent was not going to happen

          • The Jews considered Jesus’ claim to be blaspheme

            • He was not equal with God

            • He was not sent from God

          • They were ready to be judge, juror, and executioner

            • They were so furious at this point that they were forgetting their own judicial system

            • Stoning was the proper punishment for someone who blasphemed God, but that sentence was only handed down after the person had had a fair trial

            • They weren’t going to give Jesus a fair trial

            • They were going to stone Him right there in the temple courts

          • God’s timing and plans are perfect

            • It still wasn’t time for Jesus to die for the sins of the world

            • Jesus hid Himself and left the temple courts, and probably Jerusalem, the same way He had entered – in secret

 

  • YOU

    • Is there anything in your life, right now, that is or could be dishonoring to God?

    • Have you taken the necessary steps to keep God’s Word so you will never see or taste spiritual death (eternal separation from God)?

    • Do you really know God and have you really kept His Word?

 

  • WE

 

CONCLUSION

“Author and Soviet Union prison camp survivor Alexander Solzhenitsyn died on August 3, 2008, at age 89. Solzhenitsyn, so full of wisdom, has often been quoted. On June 8, 1978, while addressing the 1978 graduating class of Harvard University, he offered one of his more memorable thoughts:

 

Harvard's motto is ‘Veritas,’ [Latin for truth]. Many of you have already found out, and others will find out in the course of their lives, that truth eludes us if we do not concentrate with total attention on its pursuit. And even while it eludes us, the illusion still lingers of knowing it and leads to many misunderstandings. Also, truth is seldom pleasant; it is almost invariably bitter.”

 

Alexander Solzhenitsyn, addressing the 1978 graduating class of Harvard University, June 8, 1978

 

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2008/august/7082508.html].

13

 

/by

Who’s Your Daddy?

, ,

Believe

Who’s Your Daddy?

(John 8:31-47)

 

INTRODUCTION

“A huge billboard glared its message through the windshield of my car twice a day for years. ​​ I passed it going to and from my office located just east of downtown Dallas. ​​ The billboard rose high above Interstate 30 and contains a question and a phone number: ‘WHO’S THE FATHER? ​​ Call 1-800-DNA-EXAM.’

 

What a commentary on our times! ​​ Children born out of wedlock, mothers wondering who among their sexual partners might have fathered a particular child.”

 

[Gangel, Holman New Testament Commentary, John, 170].

 

BODY

  • ME

    • Mistaken for someone else

        • Calling for support

          • Part of serving with Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF), meant we had to raise our own financial support

          • We started the process by creating a list of people we knew from every place we ever lived, which included Pennsylvania for me

            • We added people from all over the country to our list and then prioritized them into A, B, and C lists

            • I had added certain people to our list that attended Prince Street UB Church while my father pastored there

          • The second step was to send letters out to the people on the A list

          • The final step was to call or visit those individuals who had received the letter to share with them about the ministry and to ask them to pray for us and potentially support us financially

            • As we began making phone calls, I called one of the families from Prince Street

            • They initially thought it was my father who was calling them

          • I guess I sound a lot like my father

          • There are certain attributes and features that let you know that I am a product of my father and mother

        • I have been mistaken for my cousin, Scott Bumbaugh, on my mother’s side of the family (again the family resemblance is there)

 

  • WE

    • Have you been mistaken for a family member?

        • Perhaps it was your voice

        • Maybe it was your build and features

        • It could even be your gate when you walk or certain mannerisms

        • Sometimes it can even be words you say or jokes you tell (repeat)

 

Jesus is still teaching in the temple courts and He is telling the crowd about God’s true children. ​​ The believing Jews think they know what makes them God’s true children, but Jesus refutes all of their claims. ​​ As we’ll see, Jesus explains that . . .

 

BIG IDEA – Our actions and words prove who our father is.

 

Let’s pray

 

  • GOD (John 8:31-47)

    • Abraham’s descendants (vv. 31-38)

        • Principle (vv. 31-32)

          • PRINCIPLE #1 – God is pleased when His people hold to Jesus’ teachings and are true disciples.

            • What does it mean for us to “hold to” Jesus’ teachings?

              • It means to abide, continue, or remain in God’s Word [Borchert, New American Commentary, John 1-11, 303]

              • It means that we hang in there for a lifetime and not just a season or only when things are good [parable of the four soils (hard, rocky, thorns, good), Matt. 13:1-23]

              • It means accepting the good with the bad

              • “In short, perseverance is the mark of true faith, of real disciples. ​​ A genuine believer remains in Jesus’ ‘word’ (logos), his teaching (cf. notes on 1:1): i.e. such a person obeys it, seeks to understand it better, and finds it more precious, more controlling, precisely when other forces flatly oppose it.” ​​ [Carson, The Pillar New Testament Commentary, The Gospel According to John, 348]

              • “To abide in the Bible means to hold on to the teachings of Christ and never let go. ​​ It means the Bible so fills us up that we can barely contain it. ​​ It means we’re willing to let the Bible dominate us. ​​ It means every area of our lives is being brought under the control of the Word of God. ​​ Every thought, deed, and action seeks conformity to the Scriptures. ​​ It means even when we don’t like something in the Bible, we still obey, asking God to change our hearts so the truth of the Bible will find a warm and friendly reception in us.” ​​ [Carter & Wredberg, Christ-Centered Exposition: ​​ Exalting Jesus in John, 195]

            • This is what it looks like to be a true disciple

              • Is this how we view God’s Word?

                • Is it precious to us?

                • Do we want to understand it better?

                • Do we want every area of our lives to come under its control?

                • If we were truly honest with ourselves, we would probably answer “No” to those questions

              • So, we have to ask ourselves, “Am I a true disciple of Jesus, based on abiding/holding to His teachings?”

                • If not, what do I need to do to become a true disciple?

                • Do I need to place a higher value on God’s Word?

                • Do I need to seek to understand it better, and if so, what do I need to sacrifice in order to spend more time studying it (either on my own with a group of other believers)?

                • What areas of my life do I need to place under the control of God’s Word?

              • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Make the necessary changes in my life to become a true disciple of Jesus.

          • Knowing the truth

            • Imagine how we’ll be transformed when we abide in God’s Word

            • Jesus makes it clear that we will know the truth

              • As followers of Jesus Christ, we have the Holy Spirit living within us to help us to understand the truths of God’s Word

              • John 16:13, But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. ​​ He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.

              • 1 Corinthians 2:12-14, We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. ​​ This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. ​​ The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.

              • We can know and understand the truths of God’s Word, because we have the Spirit of God living in us

              • And that truth will set us free!

            • Have you experienced that?

              • We see it in new believers all the time

              • There’s a joy that’s unexplainable

              • Family members wonder what happened to their spouse, father, mother, child, sibling, grandparent, aunt, uncle, cousin, etc.

                • Anger is gone, abuse is gone

                • Love is expressed, forgiveness is sought, care and concern are evident

              • Coworkers may see the transformation that has taken place in us

                • We are no longer critical of the boss or company, no longer participating in gossip, no longer using foul language or coarse joking, etc.

                • We become someone who is trustworthy, caring, diligent, hardworking, etc.

              • Our neighbors recognize the change

                • There is no longer a rift between us

                • We begin to look out for and help them

                • We may even invite them over for a meal

                • We may invite them to church

              • Our actions and words prove who our father is.

              • There is freedom in being set free from the bondage of sin

                • When sin has control of our lives, we don’t even recognize that we are in bondage to it, and not really free

                • “The worst bondage is the kind that the prisoner himself does not recognize. ​​ He thinks he is free, yet he is really a slave.” ​​ [Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, New Testament, Vol. 1, 323]

                • Many people think they have to give up their freedoms to become a disciple of Jesus

                • Yet when they finally believe in Him, and truly become His disciple, they realize what Jesus says is true – you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free

          • It should come as no surprise that the believing Jews misunderstood what Jesus was trying to say, because it happened before

        • Jews – “We are free!” (v. 33)

          • The Jews were confident in their heritage

            • They could trace their family tree all the way back to Abraham

            • As Abraham’s descendants they were “free” from concern about their eternity

            • They were “guaranteed” entrance into heaven

            • From a spiritual perspective they had never been slaves of anyone

            • NOTE – from a physical perspective they had been slaves in Egypt, had been under the rule of seven other nations while in the Promised Land, and they were currently under Roman rule in the 1st Century – so they’re not trying to imply that they had never been enslaved physically – they knew their history

          • They didn’t understand why Jesus would say they needed to be set free, by the truth He was sharing with them

        • Jesus – “You are slaves!” (vv. 34-38)

          • Jesus needed them to understand that their heritage would not guarantee them entrance into heaven

          • Slaves to sin

            • Everyone who sins is a slave to sin

            • Romans 3:10-12, As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. ​​ All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”

            • We are all slaves to sin, because we have all sinned

            • While Jesus recognizes their heritage from Abraham, He also points out their sin – you are ready to kill me, because you have no room for my word

            • They refused to believe the truths that Jesus was sharing with them from His Father – Jesus was telling them what He had seen and learned while He was with God in heaven

            • They were slaves to sin, which meant they did not have a permanent place in God’s family – they were not guaranteed salvation or heaven

            • Romans 6:23, For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

              • Through Jesus, God is saving us from eternal separation from Him

              • Eternal separation means hell, not heaven

              • There is no biblical backing for universalism (that God will allow everyone into heaven)

          • They had to understand their need before they could understand the importance of the solution to their need

            • While slaves could be bought and sold between various families, a son belongs to his family forever

            • The Son mentioned here is Jesus and if He sets us free, we will be free indeed

              • Jesus came from heaven to earth, was born as a baby, grew into a man, ministered for 3 years, and then willingly gave His life on the cross to take our punishment for sin

              • He is the perfect Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29)

              • He fulfilled God’s standard for a once-for-all perfect sacrifice

              • John 1:12-13, Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God – children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

              • PRINCIPLE #2 – Jesus is the only One who can set us free from the slavery to sin.

              • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Receive Jesus into my life, believe in His perfect sacrifice for me on the cross, and hold to His teachings, so I can be a true disciple and part of God’s family.

        • While the Jews thought they were already free from slavery to sin, Jesus showed them that they were not

        • In fact, they were listening to a different father, not God the Father

    • Abraham’s children (vv. 39-41a)

        • Jews – “We’re Abraham’s children!”

          • The Jews were starting to understand what Jesus was saying, spiritually

            • They were not guaranteed salvation just because they could trace their family tree back to Abraham

            • But, they still believed that they were going to heaven, because Abraham was their father

            • “It is not mere repetition of a biological fact. ​​ The Jews are advancing the argument by saying, in effect, that even in the moral and ethical realm, they measure up well enough to be considered the descendants of Abraham.” ​​ [Carson, 351]

          • Jesus basically says to them, “your actions don’t match up with your claim that Abraham is your father.”

        • Jesus – “No, your father is not Abraham.”

          • PRINCIPLE #3 – Physical heritage does not guarantee spiritual heritage.

          • Our actions and words prove who our father is.

          • The actions of the Jews proved that Abraham was not their father

            • Jesus says, if Abraham was their father, they would be doing the things that Abraham did

            • So, what did Abraham do?

              • He “welcomed divine messengers with eager hospitality” (Gen. 18:1-8) [Köstenberger, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, John, 264]

              • He “displayed obedience to God (Gen. 12:1-9; 15:1-6; 22:1-19) [Köstenberger, 264]

              • Read Hebrews 11:8-12

            • What were the Jews doing?

              • They were not welcoming Jesus as God’s divine messenger

              • They were not being obedience to God’s Word, because they were not holding to Jesus’ teachings

              • They were determined to kill Jesus, even when He had shared truths, He’d heard from God

            • Jesus says that the Jews were doing the things their own father does

              • Are we doing the things Abraham did or are we doing the things the Jews did?

              • Have we welcomed Jesus as God’s divine messenger or have we rejected Him and the truths from God?

              • Have we displayed obedience to God’s leading, with faith or with doubt?

              • Are we trusting God to fulfill His promises to us or are we pushing ahead in our own strength, timing, and understanding?

              • Are we holding to Jesus’ teachings, so we can know the truth and be set free?

            • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Welcome Jesus into my life, display obedience to God, and trust Him by faith to lead, guide, and provide for me.

        • The Jews didn’t want to be considered illegitimate children, now that they couldn’t rely on their connection to Abraham for salvation, either physically or spiritually

    • God’s children (vv. 41b-47)

        • Jews – “God is our Father!”

          • I guess their logic led them to the conclusion that if they couldn’t rely on their connection to Abraham they would move up the line to God

          • That led them to claiming that the only Father they had was God himself

          • That’s where their allegiance should have started, to begin with, and yet Jesus again refutes their claim

          • Their actions and words prove that God was not their Father

        • Jesus – “The devil is your Father!”

          • God is not their Father and here’s why . . .

            • If God was their Father, they would love Jesus (v. 42)

              • They would recognize Him as God’s divine messenger, sent from God, and not sharing His own ideas and truths

              • They would hold to His teachings and allow God’s Word to control every area of their lives

            • If God was their Father, they would hear what God says (v. 47), but they don’t hear what He says, because they don’t belong to Him

            • They belong to someone else

          • The devil is their father and here’s why . . .

            • They don’t understand Jesus’ language (v. 43)

              • It’s not clear to them

              • They aren’t able to hear what He says

              • 1 Corinthians 2:14, The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.

            • They don’t believe that Jesus is telling the truth (vv. 45-46)

            • They are doing the things that the devil does

              • The devil is a murderer

                • Twice in this section of scripture Jesus says that the Jews are trying to kill Him

                • We know that eventually they accomplish their goal, and yet it wasn’t really their goal, but God’s fulfillment of His redemption plan

              • The devil is a liar

                • He started this all the way back with Adam and Eve by twisting God’s words and creating doubt in their minds

                • He took some truth and mixed it with a little bit of untruth, which made it a lie

                • The Pharisees had to hire men to give false testimony about Jesus in an attempt to create grounds to have Him put to death

                • Jesus asks the Jews here if any of them could prove Him guilty of sin? (they couldn’t and neither could the men who gave false testimony at His trial)

          • Jesus made it clear that Abraham was not their father and neither was God – they were following their true father, the devil

 

  • YOU

    • Who’s your daddy?

        • It’s not determined by a DNA test

        • Our actions and words prove who our father is.

          • If you’re holding to Jesus teachings and doing what Abraham did, then your Father is God

          • If you’re rejecting Jesus and hurting others through your words (lying, gossiping, etc.) and actions (cheating, hitting, hating, etc.), then your father is the devil

 

  • WE

    • We can live our entire lives believing that our heritage will somehow get us to heaven, but that is simply not true

    • We have to have a personal relationship with Jesus and hold to His teachings in order to be a true disciple

 

CONCLUSION

“I will never forget a ministry trip to southern Germany after my sophomore year in college. ​​ We conducted tent campaigns all over Bavaria, three services a day, including an evangelistic rally each evening. ​​ Sometimes we would stay in a town for a week, sometimes two weeks. ​​ In Hassloch we found our most productive ministry of the summer. ​​ For two weeks we proclaimed God’s truth throughout the town and on the closing Sunday held a testimony rally.

 

My host for the two weeks, a quiet farmer, waited in a long line of local people whose testimonies for Christ lasted well over three hours that Sunday afternoon. ​​ When he approached the microphone he said quite simply, ‘You people know me. ​​ I have lived in this town all my life. ​​ You know that I have been a faithful member of our church and I’ve always believed that would take me to heaven and grant me favor with God. ​​ But last week I understood the gospel for the first time and I know that I can only go to heaven because Jesus died for me, and I trust his death to give me eternal life. ​​ So today I stand before you as a real Christian for the first time in my life.

 

The truth will set you free. ​​ This was true when Jesus first proclaimed those words, and it was true nearly fifty years ago in Germany. ​​ And the truth still sets people free today – free from faith in relationships, faith in religion, and faith in their own righteousness.”

 

[Gangel, 169].

10

 

/by

In The Light

, ,

Believe

In The Light

(John 8:12-20)

 

INTRODUCTION

“While I was ministering at [a church] in Anaheim, we had a blackout during one of our services. An automobile accident knocked out the power line to our building. There were approximately three thousand people in the room and close to a thousand children in the area behind the sanctuary. For a reason I cannot remember, the emergency lights failed, too.

 

Sitting in the front row of the church, I was only a dozen steps from the hallway leading to the children, but the darkness was so overwhelming and disorienting that it was difficult groping my way there.

 

When I finally reached the door that led to a long hallway, I saw that a mother who had a small flashlight on her key chain had beat me to the door and was making her way to her children. Her small light didn't illumine the whole hallway, but it reoriented the whole scary moment for me. Soon others found emergency flashlights in the classrooms, and still others shined their car headlights through the classroom windows. We got all the kids out to safety.

 

After about five or ten minutes I made my way back to the sanctuary. It looked like a 1960s rock concert, as all the baby boomers had gotten out their Bic lighters and were waving them around as if ‘Hey Jude’ was being performed by the Beatles. As funny as that was, what I still remember twenty years later is the enormous power of that mom's flashlight to bring hope and orientation to a seriously unnerving moment.”

 

Todd D. Hunter, Giving Church Another Chance (IVP, 2010), p. 78

 

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2010/august/5081610.html].

 

BODY

  • ME

    • Dark basement

        • I believe I was in the upper elementary grades when this story happened to me

        • A group of boys from my class were invited to another classmate’s house for his Birthday

        • It was a sleepover party on a Friday night, if I remember correctly

        • After the celebration, we all got ready for bed and set up our sleeping bags on the floor of the finished basement

        • At some point in the middle of the night, I woke up and had to go to the bathroom

          • The bathroom was upstairs

          • As you can imagine, it was completely dark with no lights on anywhere

          • It was like being in a cave or cavern when they turn all the lights off, so you can experience complete darkness

          • I groped around in the darkness and started crawling around on my hands and feet

          • I thought I had found the stairs, but I wasn’t making any progress

          • I had to go to the bathroom so bad at this point

          • I had to regroup and begin feeling for the stairs in a different location

          • I finally found the stairs and the bathroom! ​​ What a relief

        • The next morning when there was light in the basement, I realized that the initial “stairway” I was trying to climb on my hands and knees was stacked firewood beside the fireplace

        • Here’s a couple of life lessons for sleepovers

          • Don’t drink too much before going to bed

          • Make sure to use the bathroom before you go to bed

          • Always take a flashlight with you when you go to a friend’s house for a sleepover

 

  • WE

    • Take a moment to remember a time when you experienced complete darkness

        • How did you feel?

        • How did you cope with it?

 

Imagine for a moment what it would be like if that darkness lasted for a couple of minutes . . . a couple of hours . . . a couple of days . . . a couple of years . . . or for eternity. ​​ We would probably lose our minds. ​​ We want to be able to see what is around us. ​​ We don’t want to continually walk around with our arms outstretched in front of us to protect us from running into something. ​​ While none of us want to do this on a physical level, some of us are fine doing this on a spiritual level. ​​ We are fine walking around in darkness – stumbling around, groping around to find the light. ​​ John shares Jesus’ words about being the light of the world. ​​ Jesus was speaking on a spiritual level. ​​ As we’ll see today . . .

 

BIG IDEA – Jesus brings God’s presence, protection, and guidance.

 

Let’s pray

 

  • GOD (John 8:12-20)

    • Proclamation (v. 12, 20)

        • Background

          • Jesus is still in Jerusalem in the temple courts

          • We know this because of verse 20, He spoke these words while teaching in the temple area near the place where the offerings were put.

          • Perhaps the Feast of Tabernacles had ended, but this narrative probably happened while the feast was still taking place

            • Here is why it probably happened during the feast

            • Several weeks ago we learned that during the Feast of Tabernacles there was a water ceremony that the priests did every day and then seven times on the last day of the feast

              • This ceremony marked the beginning of the drought season

              • It also was a reminder of how God provided water from a rock, on two occasions, for the Israelites as they wandered in the wilderness

            • There was another ceremony that took place during this same feast that was centered around light

              • This was the time of year when the autumn equinox happened (night and day are of equal length) [Burge, The NIV Application Commentary, John, 255]

              • It was also a reminder of God’s presence, protection, and guidance while the Israelites wandered in the wilderness

                • God’s presence was evident through the pillar of cloud during the day and the pillar of fire at night

                • God’s protection came when the Israelites were stuck between the Red Sea and the Egyptian army that was pursuing them – the pillar of cloud/fire moved from in front of the Israelites to the rear, and blocked the Egyptian army until the Red Sea was parted

                • God’s guidance happened through the movement of the pillar of cloud/fire

                  • When the pillar moved, the Israelites broke camp and followed it until it stopped

                  • When it stopped, they set up camp until it moved again

              • The light ceremony

                • It took place in the Court of Women

                • [Show the three pictures while talking about the lamps]

                • There were four stands that held four golden bowls – each bowl had four parts to it, making sixteen lamps

                • These golden bowls “were filled with oil and used the worn undergarments of the priests for wicks.” ​​ [Burge, 255]

                • These lamps were lit on the first night of the Feast of Tabernacles

                • It is probable that they were lit every evening instead of burning continuously from the first day to the last day of the feast

                • Just imagine what it must have been like to see these lamps burning at night and illuminating the walls of the temple courts – it must have been magnificent!

                • It was definitely a visual reminder of God’s presence, protection, and guidance for His people

          • We don’t know exactly when Jesus made His proclamation about being the light of the world, but just imagine if He said that right after the priests extinguished the lamps on the last night of the feast – how profound would that have been

        • Salvation

          • Jesus is saying to the crowd, gathered in the Court of Women, “You don’t have to celebrate the light ceremony anymore. ​​ I am with you. ​​ I will protect you. ​​ I will guide you.”

          • Jesus brings God’s presence, protection, and guidance.

          • PRINCIPLE #1 – Jesus is our salvation!

            • The Prophet Isaiah foretold the coming of the Messiah when he said, The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned (Isaiah 9:2)

            • John 3:19-20, This is the verdict: ​​ Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. ​​ Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.

              • We are all born loving the darkness (Read Romans 3:10-12)

              • Romans 3:19-20, Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. ​​ Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.

                • The Ten Commandments were given so that we would be aware of our sin

                • Keeping the Ten Commandments does not make us righteous, because no one can keep all of the Ten Commandments perfectly

                • James tell us that if we keep the whole law and yet stumble at just one point, we’re guilty of breaking all of it (James 2:10)

              • If we die in the state of loving darkness, we will spend eternity in darkness (Rom. 6:23)

                • Our eternal home will be hell

                • That’s what we are being saved from

                • Imagine for a moment that someone comes up to you and tells you that another person has paid your speeding fine of $25,000

                • You would probably tell them that you don’t have a speeding fine of $25,000 (you’re not aware of any violation on your record)

                • Imagine that they came to you and told you that a police officer clocked you going 55 mph in an area designated for a blind children’s convention. ​​ There were ten clear warning signs telling you that the speed limit was 15 mph, but you ignored all the signs and kept going 55 mph. ​​ The penalty for doing that is $25,000

                • You would understand the significance of having someone else pay your penalty when you realize that you are guilty

                • That is what the Ten Commandments do for us – they make us conscious of our sin

                • When we know we have broken God’s law, then we realize and accept the fact that we need a Savior – someone to pay our penalty

              • God knew from the start that human beings would turn away from Him and follow darkness

                • Out of His great love for us, He didn’t turn His back on us and allow us to die in our sins, separated from Him in eternal darkness

                • Instead He fulfilled His plan of redemption and reconciliation by sending Jesus from heaven to earth to die on a cross to take our punishment for sin, to pay our penalty of sin

                • John 3:16-18, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ​​ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ​​ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”

                • That’s what Jesus is saying to the crowd, when He says, whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life

                  • The light of life is eternal life

                  • “If Jesus is the light, walking ‘in the light’ is a description of discipleship (1:7).” ​​ [Burge, 256]

                  • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Believe in Jesus and become His disciple, so I will never have to walk in darkness but will have the light of life (eternal life).

            • When you believe in Jesus and follow Him, you will experience God’s presence, protection, and guidance

              • Presence

                • Deuteronomy 31:8, The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. ​​ Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.

                • 1 Corinthians 3:16, Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?

              • Protection

                • Isaiah 41:10, So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. ​​ I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

                • 2 Thessalonians 3:3, But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.

              • Guidance

                • John 16:13, But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. ​​ He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.

                • Proverbs 3:5-6, Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

                • Psalm 32:8, I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel (guide) you and watch over you.

              • You can claim these promises for yourself, every day!

              • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Claim God’s promises, through Jesus, that He will be with me, protect me, and guide me.

          • So, Jesus is sharing the good news of the Gospel with the crowd – He is the light of the world, but not everyone was happy about that

        • The Pharisees were already angry and upset with Jesus, so it didn’t matter what He said or did, they were going to challenge Him

    • Protest (v. 13)

        • The Pharisees challenge the validity of Jesus’ proclamation by saying that He is appearing as His own witness

          • Jesus’ statement, that He is the light of the world, isn’t valid in their reasoning, because He is saying it about Himself

          • He does not have any witnesses to support His claim

          • Unfortunately, the Pharisees have forgotten what Jesus said after healing the lame man at the Pool of Bethesda on the Sabbath

          • Jesus gave the religious leaders not only one witness, but four

            • John the Baptist (John 5:33)

            • His miraculous works (John 5:36)

            • The Father (John 5:37)

            • The Scriptures (John 5:39)

        • It wasn’t going to matter what Jesus said, because the Pharisees were living with self-righteous attitudes that were wrong – they had made up their minds about Jesus

        • In this last section, we see Jesus pleading with the Pharisees to acknowledge and accept His claim to deity – He wants them follow Him, so they won’t walk in darkness

    • Plea (vv. 14-20)

        • Jesus’ deity (v. 14)

          • “Words which in a human being would inevitably look like exaggerated arrogance, can take no other form in the mouth of the eschatological revealer.” ​​ [Schnackenburg cited by Köstenberger, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, John, 255]

            • Jesus is God, which means that He is perfect, without sin

            • His sinlessness is why He was able to take our punishment on the cross, to pay our penalty of sin

            • So, His testimony would have been valid even if there were no other witnesses

          • Jesus knew where He came from and where He was going

            • Jesus was confident in His deity

            • He knew He had come from heaven – from the right hand of God the Father

            • He knew what His mission on earth was – to die on a cross as the perfect Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world

            • He knew that after His perfect sacrifice on the cross He would be buried and God would bring Him back to life as proof that His sacrifice was acceptable and met God’s standard for redemption

            • He also knew that He would return to heaven after providing redemption for humanity

          • The Pharisees did not know where Jesus came from or where He was going

            • It wasn’t that Jesus was hiding His deity from them

            • He had told them multiple times that He was from God the Father

            • The Pharisees had their preconceived ideas of how the Messiah would come and what He would do on the earth

            • Jesus did not fit any of those preconceived ideas

            • Their false ideas about the Messiah and His ministry on earth blinded them to the truth

            • They did not want to believe that Jesus came from heaven, therefore, they definitely wouldn’t believe that He would be returning to heaven

          • The Pharisees were judging based on human standards and not Godly standards or Scriptural standards

        • Judgment (vv. 15-16)

          • Human standards

            • The original Greek can be translated as “according to the flesh”

            • The Pharisees knew that Jesus was from Nazareth in Galilee

              • As we saw in John 7:41 some believed that Jesus was the Christ

              • In verse 42, others disagreed that Jesus was the Christ, because they knew that the Christ would come from David’s family and from Bethlehem

              • As mentioned there, the crowd and the religious leaders were not aware of Jesus’ birthplace – Bethlehem

              • So, the Pharisees are judging from a human standard based on Jesus’ known place of origin – Nazareth in Galilee

            • They are also using the human standard of needing two witnesses

              • “. . . Jesus’ point is the one he will make again here, that his witness is not by himself to himself, but for the Father to the Father, and crucially with the Father.” ​​ [Milne, The Bible Speaks Today, The Message of John, 128]

              • “They see his ‘flesh’, as it were, but never contemplate the possibility that he could be the Word made flesh (1:14).” ​​ [Carson, The Pillar New Testament Commentary, The Gospel According to John, 339]

              • John 1:14, The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. ​​ We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

            • ​​ Since Jesus came from heaven and the Father, He is deity and can judge correctly

          • Judging correctly

            • Jesus states that He doesn’t pass judgment on anyone

              • We know from Scripture that Jesus will be the final judge of humanity (Matthew 25:31-33)

              • We will all stand before Him and give an account of what we did while on earth (Romans 14:12)

              • What Jesus is saying here is that He doesn’t judge anyone by the human standard that the Pharisees were judging Him by

            • PRINCIPLE #2 – God’s judgement is right.

              • Jesus says that if He does judge that His decisions in judging are right

              • He is able to make this statement, because He is not judging in a void

              • He stands with the Father who sent Him

              • God and Jesus are perfect, so they can judge perfectly, righteously

            • Application

              • We are not perfect, so our judgments are not always perfect or righteous

              • We know this is true when some people are falsely accused and convicted

                • Some individuals have maintained their innocence for all the years they’ve been imprisoned

                • DNA evidence has enabled the court system to reverse some convictions that were done incorrectly

              • Only God knows the heart of man, but sometimes we pass judgment on others based on several things

                • Our feelings

                • False information

                • Preconceived ideas that are incorrect

                • Prejudices

                • Personal preferences

                • Human standards

              • Perhaps we’d be better served if we spoke directly with the individual instead of passing judgement

              • It may help us to forgive and extend grace, just like God has done for us

              • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Recognize that I’m judging someone unfairly and imperfectly, and extend grace and forgiveness to them instead.

          • Jesus then expands what He has already told them

        • Witnesses (vv. 17-19)

          • While He is not bound by their human standards of judgement (testimony of two men is valid), He explains that He is still in compliance with that standard

            • He testifies for Himself

            • His other witness if the Father who sent Him – God

          • The Pharisees are struggling with the natural and the supernatural, with the human and divine

            • That’s why they ask Jesus where His father is?

            • Notice that “father” is not capitalized

            • They want to know where Jesus’ earthly, human father is

            • ​​ “In the present instance the Jews, of course, expect witnesses whose statements can be heard and compared with each other, so that it can be determined whether they agree.” ​​ [Köstenberger, 256]

              • It doesn’t matter that Jesus has already called John the Baptist, His works, God, and the Scriptures as His witnesses

              • John would have been the only one who could have physically stood before them

              • Joseph, Mary’s husband, could have stood before them, but His testimony about Jesus would not carry the same weight as His Father, God

            • This simply tells us that the Pharisees are not comprehending who Jesus is – He’s the Messiah

              • Jesus’ response helps us know that He is aware that the Pharisees don’t know or acknowledge Him as the Christ, the Messiah

              • He tells them that they don’t know Him or His Father

              • If they knew Him, they would know His Father, and it wasn’t Joseph

            • Jesus’ is pleading with them to turn away from the darkness and follow Him, as the light of the world

              • If they would accept Him as the Christ (Messiah) and follow Him, they would know God, the Father

              • The sad truth was that they already thought they knew the Father

              • They thought they had God’s presence, protection, and guidance, but they didn’t

              • Jesus brings God’s presence, protection, and guidance.

              • He is the only way for us to not walk in darkness

          • John gives us the location of where Jesus was, in the temple courts, during this exchange with the Pharisees

        • Location and protection (v. 20)

          • He was teaching in the temple area near the place where the offerings were put

            • The offering containers were in the shape of a shofar (a ram’s horn trumpet)

            • There were thirteen of them stationed in the Court of Women (each one was marked with what the offering would be used for in the temple)

            • This is the same place where the ceremony of lights took place

          • We see God’s protection over Jesus again

            • No one seized Jesus, even though they had been looking for Him and challenging Him, so they could find grounds to arrest Him

            • God’s timing for His redemption plan would not be dictated or determined by any one, but Him

 

  • YOU

    • I pray that your desire is to follow Jesus and be His disciple – to walk in the light instead of the darkness

    • “I want to be in the Light
      As You are in the Light
      I want to shine like the stars in the heavens
      Oh, Lord be my Light and be my salvation
      Cause all I want is to be in the Light
      All I want is to be in the Light”

      [In The Light by DC Talk]

 

  • WE

    • Our purpose as disciples of Jesus Christ is to point others to the Light, to Jesus

CONCLUSION

“One weekend, author Paul Tripp gave his teenage son permission to spend the weekend at a friend's house. But during the weekend Paul received a call from the friend's mother, informing him that Paul's son was not at her home. (Her son had felt guilty about covering for Paul's son and confessed to his mom.) After Paul told his wife about their son's deception, Paul said, “Luella could feel my anger, and she said, ‘I think you need to pray.’ I said, ‘I don't think I can pray for him right now.’ She said, ‘I didn't mean for you to pray for him; I think you need to pray for you.’”

 

Paul writes:

 

I went to my bedroom to pray for God's help, and it hit me that, because of his love, God had already begun a work of rescue in my son's life. God was the one who pressed in on the conscience of my son's friend, causing him to confess to his mom. God was the one who gave her the courage to make that difficult call to me. And God was the one giving me time to get a hold of myself before my son came home. Now, rather than wanting to rip into my son, I wanted to be part of what this God of grace was doing in this moment of rebellion, deception, hurt, and disappointment.

 

After giving his son a couple of hours to relax upon his return, Paul asked him if they could talk.

 

"Do you ever think about how much God loves you?" Paul asked his son.

 

"Sometimes," he answered.

 

"Do you ever think how much God's grace operates in your life every day?"

 

His son looked up but didn't speak.

 

"Do you know how much God's grace was working in your life even this weekend?"

 

"Who told you?" his son asked.

Paul said:

 

‘You have lived your life in the light. You've made good choices. You've been an easy son to parent, but this weekend you took a step toward the darkness. You can live in the darkness if you want. You can learn to lie and deceive. You can use your friends as your cover … You can step over God's boundaries. Or you can determine to live in God's light. I'm pleading with you: don't live in the darkness; live in the light.’

 

‘As I turned to walk away,’ Paul wrote, ‘I heard his voice from behind me saying, ‘Dad, don't go.’ As I turned around, with tears in his eyes, he said, ‘Dad, I want to live in the light, but it's so hard. Will you help me?’’”

 

Paul David Tripp, Forever: Why You Can't Live Without It (Zondervan, 2011), pp. 151-153; submitted by Van Morris, Mt. Washington, Kentucky

 

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2011/october/6102411.html].

13

 

/by

A Stone’s Throw Away

, , ,

Believe

A Stone’s Throw Away

(John 7:53-8:11)

 

INTRODUCTION

“The movie Les Misérables, based on the novel by Victor Hugo, opens with a vagabond curled up on a stone bench on a desolate French street corner. His bedraggled appearance makes him seem dangerous and causes the townspeople, from whom he sought food and shelter, to snub him. Finally, he slumps over in dejection—until a passerby points to a place where he can find refuge.

 

He goes to the door and knocks. The homeowner, the town's bishop, is startled by the late-night visitation but attentively listens to his story. His name is Jean Valjean, and he reveals that he is a recently released convict and marked by the authorities as dangerous. Even so, the bishop welcomes him into his home and serves him dinner.

 

Later, in the middle of the night, despite the bishop's kindness, Valjean double-crosses him. Valjean remembers the sparkling silver spoon he used to eat his soup at dinner and sneaks to the dining room to steal the bishop's valuable silverware. The clanking of metal arouses the bishop, who rises to inspect the clattering below. When they meet face to face, Valjean strikes the bishop, leaving him unconscious, and escapes with a heavy knapsack of silver.

 

The following morning the bishop's domestic servant laments the loss of her silver, but the bishop seems unperturbed, telling his domestic servant, ‘So we'll use wooden spoons. I don't want to hear anything more about it.’ Moments later, authorities appear at the bishop's manor with the stolen silver and Valjean handcuffed.

 

Looking deeply into the thief's eyes, the bishop says, ‘I'm very angry with you, Jean Valjean.’ Turning toward the authorities, he asks, ‘Didn't he tell you he was our guest?’

 

‘Oh, yes,’ replies the chief authority, ‘after we searched his knapsack and found all this silver. He claimed that you gave it to him.’

 

Stooping in shame, Valjean expects the bishop to indict him. A new prison sentence awaits him. But the bishop says, ‘Yes. Of course I gave him the silverware.’ Then, looking intently at Valjean he asks, ‘But why didn't you take the candlesticks? That was very foolish. They're worth at least 2,000 francs. Why did you leave them? Did you forget to take them?’

 

The bishop orders his domestic servant to hurry and fetch the candlesticks, while the authorities stand dumbfounded. They ask, ‘Are you saying he told us the truth?’

The bishop replies, ‘Of course. Thank you for bringing him back. I'm very relieved.’

 

The authorities immediately release Valjean, who is shocked by the turn of events, and the bishop thrusts the retrieved candlesticks into Valjean's knapsack.

 

Once the authorities leave, the bishop drops the heavy bag of silver at Valjean's feet. After peeling away Valjean's hood, which was cloaking his guilty face, the bishop sternly looks him in the eyes and orders Valjean, ‘Don't forget don't ever forget you've promised to become a new man.’

Valjean, trembling, makes the promise and with utter humility asks, ‘Why are you doing this?’

 

The bishop places his hands on Valjean's shoulders, as an act of blessing, and declares, ‘Jean Valjean, my brother, you no longer belong to evil. With this silver, I've bought your soul. I've ransomed you from fear and hatred. Now I give you back to God.’”

 

Les Misérables, rated PG-13, released 1998, based on the novel by Victor Hugo; written by Rafael Yglesias, directed by Bille August; submitted by Melissa Parks, Des Plaines, Illinois

 

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2001/april/12988.html].

 

The bishop could have condemned Jean Valjean instead of showing him compassion. ​​ He was probably a stone’s throw away from doing just that, but he understood the power of forgiveness.

 

BODY

  • ME

    • Ford Bronco II

        • My father bought a Ford Bronco II brand new, perhaps a year or two before we moved from PA to AL

        • He really liked the style of the vehicle

        • It was the vehicle I learned to drive in, because it was stick shift and not automatic

        • That was perhaps the greatest thing my father could have done for me in learning to drive – starting me off in a stick shift

        • When I worked for Chick-fil-A in AL we had to park in the upper parking lot of the mall

          • We were the last ones to leave the mall, because we had to clean the entire restaurant before we left

          • The security guards would lock the gate to the upper parking lot before we were finished working

          • So, they would send one person out to bring everyone’s vehicle down to the lower parking lot

          • One evening they asked a young lady to bring the vehicle down

          • I asked her if she knew how to drive stick shift

          • She promised me that she did

          • Long story short, she drove the Ford Bronco II forward into the cement base of a light post that I was parked in front of

        • I was scared to death to call my father, because I knew how much he liked that vehicle

        • His response to my phone call was one of forgiveness and compassion – he was more concerned that I was alright and that the young lady was fine

        • I’ll never forget the compassion I received when I expected condemnation

 

  • WE

    • Compassion instead of condemnation

        • Think of a time when you received compassion instead of the expected condemnation

 

The narrative that we’re going to look at today is not found in the earliest and most reliable manuscripts and other ancient witnesses. ​​ The writing style is more like Luke than John. ​​ Borchert calls it “a text looking for a context.” ​​ [Borchert, The New American Commentary, John 1-11, 369]. ​​ With that said it has been included in most modern translations with a side note or footnote. ​​ The principles found in this narrative are in line with Jesus’ teachings and heart. ​​ He will be challenging the religious leaders to examine themselves. ​​ They have “examined” the woman and have passed judgment on her without first examining themselves. ​​ Their focus was on trapping Jesus, so they could arrest Him. ​​ They thought that had the perfect scenario to trip Him up, but forget about their own sin. ​​ John wants us to understand, through this narrative, that . . .

 

BIG IDEA – Self-examination protects us from self-righteousness.

We’re just a stone’s throw away from doing the same thing the teachers of the law and Pharisees did with the woman caught in adultery – self-righteous condemnation.

 

Let’s pray

 

  • GOD (John 7:57-8:11)

    • Accommodations (vv. 5:53-8:2)

        • This was a regular pattern for Jesus

          • Luke helps us to understand the pattern

          • Luke 21:37, Each day Jesus was teaching at the temple, and each evening he went out to spend the night on the hill called the Mount of Olives, and all the people came early in the morning to hear him at the temple.

          • Because this narrative is “a text looking for a context,” we can’t say that this happened right after the previous narrative in John 7:32-52

          • It may have happened at a later time, so we have to take it as a separate unit of thought

        • Crowd

          • With that said, we are told that each person, in the crowd at the temple courts, went to his or her own home

          • These were residence of Jerusalem and, therefore, they were able to return to their own homes after listening to Jesus preach

          • Their accommodations were nearby, probably within the city limits

        • Jesus

          • Jesus did not have a home in Jerusalem, so we see that He went to the Mount of Olives

            • Matthew and Luke both record Jesus’ teaching on the cost of following Him

            • “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” ​​ (Matthew 8:20; Luke 9:58)

          • Two thoughts about going to the Mount of Olives

            • He certainly could have just slept on the Mount of Olives, perhaps under the cleft of a rock

              • It’s possible that He may not have slept at all, but rather prayed

              • He did that often as Luke records, But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed (Luke 5:16)

              • He prayed all night before calling the apostles (Luke 6:12-18)

              • He prayed at night in the Garden of Gethsemane prior to His arrest (Luke 22:39-46)

            • It is also possible that He stayed with Lazarus, Mary, and Martha in Bethany

              • He knew that He was always welcome in their home

              • Bethany was only 1.5 miles east of Jerusalem on the south-eastern slope of the Mount of Olives [show map]

        • So, everyone had gone home for the evening, but they were up early, at dawn, and back at the temple courts for more of Jesus’ teaching

        • It wasn’t unusual for the teachers of the law and the Pharisees to be hanging around, since they were the “religious professionals,” charged with teaching the law to the crowds

        • On this day they were there to challenge Jesus and hopefully entrap Him

    • Accusations (vv. 8:3-6a)

        • Woman

          • There are a couple of key indicators in the text that help us know certain things about the woman

            • She was probably betrothed (engaged) to be married

              • Deuteronomy 22:22-24, If a man is found sleeping with another man’s wife, both the man who slept with her and the woman must die. ​​ You must purge the evil from Israel. ​​ If a man happens to meet in a town a virgin pledged to be married and he sleeps with her, you shall take both of them to the gate of that town and stone them to death – the girl because she was in a town and did not scream for help, and the man because he violated another man’s wife. ​​ You must purge the evil from among you.

                • Notice that there is a distinction between a married woman and an engaged woman

                • In both cases the man and the woman are to be put to death, but with the married woman the form of death is not prescribed

                • With the man, and the woman pledged to be married, the form of death is stoning

                • The Mishnah was the oral law in Jesus’ day and it differentiated between an engaged woman and a married woman, “the offence in the first instance [adultery with an engaged woman], is punishable by stoning (it is viewed as the more serious of the two), and the second by strangling.” ​​ [bracketed text added, Carson, The Pillar New Testament Commentary, The Gospel According to John, 335]

              • So, it is probable that this woman was engaged to be married and had been unfaithful to her fiancé

            • She was guilty

              • She did not deny the charge

              • She did not try to plead her innocence

            • She was not valued by the religious leaders

              • This was not unusual in the 1st Century, because women were not considered trustworthy to testify in a court of law

              • It’s evident in the fact that the religious leaders didn’t bring the man to Jesus also

              • She was simply a pawn in their scheme to trap Jesus

              • They were not concerned about fairness at this point

                • We already know this to be true about the religious leaders

                • Last week we saw how they treated Nicodemus when he challenged them with their own law about “innocent until proven guilty” (John 7:51)

                • They were so blinded by their desire to eliminate Jesus that they would compromise their own laws in order to arrest Him and put Him to death

                • Fairness didn’t even have a seat at the table

              • If the woman had no value to them, then it wouldn’t be difficult to see how this was another trap set by the religious leaders to accomplish their goal

            • She was probably set up by the religious leaders

              • My guess is that the act of adultery was the same in the 1st Century as it is today

                • It’s not something that’s flaunted in public for all to see

                • It takes place behind closed doors in a location where perhaps neither of the parties involved are known

                • All attempts are made to conceal the sin of adultery, so that it will not be found out

              • Two witnesses required

                • The religious leaders are recommending death by stoning

                • This would have required two witnesses to the act of adultery

                • Deuteronomy 17:6, On the testimony of two or three witnesses a man shall be put to death, but no one shall be put to death on the testimony of only one witness.

                • Deuteronomy 19:15, One witness is not enough to convict a man accused of any crime or offense he may have committed. ​​ A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.

                • “Boice claims, ‘Under such circumstances it is almost self-evident that the rulers must have arranged the liaison somewhat as a trap, having stationed the witnesses in the room or at the keyhole. ​​ It is a situation quite similar to the use of private investigators and photographers in order to prove adultery today’ (Boice, II, p. 315).” ​​ [Gangel, Holman New Testament Commentary, John, 159]

          • This guilty, devalued, engaged woman is brought before Jesus in an attempt to trap Jesus

        • Jesus

          • The religious leaders tell Jesus that, the woman before Him, was caught in the act of adultery

          • I find it interesting that they quote only part of the Law that was given to Moses

            • They forget to mention that Moses told them that both the man and woman were to be stoned

            • Jesus is God, so He is the One who gave the Law to Moses

            • This again shows that the religious leaders did not recognize or did not want to acknowledge that Jesus was the Messiah – that would destroy their theology of the Messiah and everything they had learned and taught to others about the Messiah

          • The religious leaders are working so hard to find grounds to arrest Jesus that they are allowing a huge hole to remain in their accusation against this woman

        • Notice that Jesus doesn’t address the gaping hole or the woman at this point, but rather begins writing on the ground

    • Awareness (vv. 8:6b-11)

        • Religious leaders

          • Writing on the ground

            • There’s all kinds of speculation about what Jesus was writing on the ground

            • We’re not going to address that this morning, because it just doesn’t enhance the narrative or help with the principles that are found in this passage

          • The religious leaders are persistent

            • When someone thinks they have set the perfect trap they are eager to see it sprung

            • The Pharisees were confident that regardless of Jesus’ answer to their question, He would alienate Himself from one side or the other – He was caught!

              • If He said that the woman should be stoned, He would alienate Himself from sinners, which are the ones He came to save

                • He was known for His “compassion for the broken and disreputable, His quickness to forgive and restore, and His announcement of the life-transforming power bound up with the new birth” [Carson, 335]

                • His influence with sinners would be damaged, because they would not trust Him after this

              • If He said that the woman should not be stoned, He would alienate Himself from the Jews and the religious leaders

                • They would accuse Him of being light concerning the Law of Moses

                • While He was able to “argue” His way out of breaking the Sabbath law, He would not be able to do the same with the law concerning those caught in adultery

                • The law was clear!

            • What the religious leaders didn’t know is that their “perfect plan” was about to unravel

          • Jesus stood up and challenged them to examine themselves

            • We saw in Deuteronomy 17:6 that there had to be two or three witnesses before someone could be sentenced to death

              • Deuteronomy 17:7, The hands of the witnesses must be the first in putting him to death, and then the hands of all the people. ​​ You must purge the evil from among you.

              • It was a requirement that those who witnessed the evil/sin had to be present to throw the first stones

            • If anyone of you is without sin (fault), let him be the first to throw a stone at her

              • “They thought they could trip Jesus up due to his compassion. ​​ Jesus ignores their plan. ​​ He doesn’t address the law or this woman’s condition. ​​ He just tells them to go ahead and stone her, with one condition: ​​ as long as they were not guilty of breaking the law.” ​​ [Carter & Wredberg, Christ-Centered Exposition: ​​ Exalting Jesus in John, 184]

              • They had already broken the law, by not bringing both the man and woman together to be sentenced and stoned

              • If the witnesses were there and didn’t say anything to stop the couple from breaking the law, they would be guilty of corroborating with them

              • Carson claims, “It means, rather, that they must not be guilty of this particular sin.” ​​ [Carson, 336]

                • So Jesus could be saying to them, “you can throw the first stones if you’ve never committed adultery yourself.”

                • It’s so easy for us to recognize the sin in others that we struggle with in our own lives (lying, gossip, hatred, mistrust, pornography, disunity, stealing, etc.)

              • Michaels brings another important facet, of the heart, into the mix when he says, “. . . whoever takes on himself the role of witness-executioner must be confident before God that he is doing the right thing – hardly an unreasonable demand.” ​​ [Michaels, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, The Gospel of John, 498-99]

                • We have to make sure that our accusations of others are done for the right reasons and with the right heart attitude

                • Matthew and Luke record Jesus’ teaching about criticizing others

                • Matthew 7:1-5, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. ​​ For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. ​​ Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? ​​ How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? ​​ You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

                • Jesus is teaching the same principle in Matthew and Luke that He is teaching here in John

                • PRINCIPLE #1 – God desires that His people examine themselves first.

              • The teachers of the law and the Pharisees had to stop at this point and examine themselves

                • Were they able to say that they were without fault when it came to adultery in their own lives

                • Were they able to say that they had never broken any of the Law

                • Were they able to say that they were bringing this woman forward for the right reasons

                • Application

                  • I don’t know where you are today in your own life, but if you’re like me then you’ve struggled with judging others

                  • We’re all probably just a stone’s throw away from condemning someone

                  • We have to stop and do some self-examination so we can protect ourselves from self-righteousness

                  • It’s easy to point the finger at others and blame them for the same things we’re prone to do ourselves

                  • “So of all things, Christianity isn't supposed to be about gathering up the good people (shiny! happy! squeaky clean!) and excluding the bad people (frightening! alien! repulsive!) for the very simple reason that there aren't any good people … This goes flat contrary to the predominant image of [Christianity] existing in prissy, fastidious little enclaves, far from life's messier zones and inclined to get all ‘judgmental’ about them. Of course there are Christians like that … The religion certainly can slip into being a club or a cozy affinity group or a wall against the world. But it isn't supposed to be. What it's supposed to be is a league of the guilty.”

                    Francis Spufford, Unapologetic (HarperOne, 2013), pp. 45-48

                    [                    https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2014/january/2010614.html]

                  • Take a moment to think about an area of your life, right now, where you are condemning someone else

                  • Take time to pray and ask the Lord to reveal any self-righteousness that needs to be confessed to Him

                  • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Take time to do self-examination with the Lord, so I will be protected from self-righteousness.

            • Jesus gave the religious leaders and the crowd time to process His challenge

              • He gave them time to examine themselves

              • He stooped down and began writing on the ground again

          • Self-examination proved to be profitable

            • Those in the crowd, including the religious leaders, began to leave one at a time beginning with the older ones

            • This showed the wisdom and maturity that came with age

            • When confronted with their own sin and self-righteousness, they were able to see that they were at fault

            • We’re not told if the religious leaders repented at this point, but knowing the rest of Jesus’ story, we can only imagine that this self-examination only lasted a short while and self-righteousness returned

            • That doesn’t have to be the case with you

              • You don’t have to live a stone’s throw away from condemnation

              • You can repent and turn away from your self-righteous attitudes, actions, and feelings

              • PRINCIPLE #2 – God is pleased when His people confess and repent of their sin and self-righteousness.

              • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Confess and repent of my own self-righteousness.

              • Repentance opens the way for compassion instead of condemnation

          • What we see next is compassion instead of condemnation with Jesus and the woman

        • Woman

          • Jesus was the only One in the crowd that could condemn the woman caught in adultery

            • PRINCIPLE #3 – God is the only righteous judge.

            • Since He was only one person, He could not, by law, condemn her to death (there had to be two or three witnesses)

            • In His human state, He had not personally witnessed her act of adultery, therefore, He could not throw the first stone

          • The woman is aware that all of her accusers have left

          • Jesus asks her two questions

            • “Woman, where are they?”

            • “Has no one condemned you?”

          • Her reply is that no one has condemned her

          • Jesus tells her that He doesn’t condemn her either

            • PRINCIPLE #4 – God is compassionate and forgiving.

            • When we repent from our own self-righteousness we are able to be compassionate and forgiving

            • Perhaps there is someone or a group of people that you need to forgive today

            • If you’ve confessed and repented of your own self-righteousness, the next step is to show compassion for those you’ve been condemning, and forgive them

            • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Forgive the person or people I have been condemning.

          • Jesus challenges her to leave her life of sin

            • While Jesus is compassionate and forgiving towards the woman, He doesn’t let her off the hook

            • He isn’t judging her at this point, but He is holding her accountable

            • She was caught in the act of adultery, which is sin, so Jesus challenges her to leave that lifestyle and pursue a life of holiness and purity

            • The ball is in her court – what will she do?

 

  • YOU

    • Perhaps you’ve been struggling with self-righteousness and are a stone’s throw away from condemning someone and you need to confess and repent of that today

    • Maybe you’re ready to leave your self-righteousness behind and move towards compassion and forgiveness

 

  • WE

    • That’s what the Lord has called every one of His people to do

 

CONCLUSION

During the closing song, I want to invite you to come forward and confess and repent of any self-righteousness you may be struggling with and ask the Lord to give you the power to forgive those you may be condemning or judging unfairly.

 

Alternative Conclusion

 

Gary M. Burge in his commentary explains that the woman caught in adultery “moves with shocking speed from death to life.”

 

“The sort of profile I have in mind is like that of Karla Faye Tucker, Karla Faye was twenty-three years old in June 1983, when she and her boyfriend (Daniel Garrett) broke into a Houston home in order to ‘case’ the house for a robbery. ​​ High on drugs for days, Tucker and Garrett ran into a couple in the home and murdered them with a hammer and a pickax. ​​ Both bodies had more than twenty stab wounds. ​​ Following their trial and conviction (which was widely reported around the United States), each received the death sentence. ​​ Garrett died in prison in 1993, but Tucker remained on death row for many more years.

 

Karla Faye Tucker’s story is more than one more senseless homicide because three months after her imprisonment, she became a Christian. ​​ A puppet ministry team came to her cell block, and since everyone else was going, she joined the crowed out of boredom. ​​ She stole a Bible at the meeting (not knowing they were free) and secreted it away that night in her cell. ​​ Later that night, she accepted Jesus into her heart. ​​ ‘When I did this,’ Karla wrote later, ‘the full and overwhelming weight and reality of what I had done hit me. ​​ I realized for the first time that night what I had done. ​​ I began crying that night for the first time in many years, and to this day, tears are a part of my life.’

 

The transformation of Karla’s life was tangible. ​​ Christ was alive in her. ​​ For over fourteen years she was a powerful Christian presence in the prison, in 1995 marrying the prison chaplain who worked with her (Dana Brown). ​​ Her life was gripped by the horror of what she had done. ​​ ‘I feel the pain of that night and I feel the pain that goes on every day with others because of what I did that night. ​​ I know the evil that was in me then, and I know that what took place that night was so horrible that only a monster could do it.’ ​​ Her life was hallmarked by the radiant joy of experiencing Jesus’ forgiveness.

 

In 1997 a date was set for Karla Faye’s execution: ​​ February 3, 1998. ​​ At once she was a media sensation. ​​ Was this conversion real? ​​ Would Texas execute its first woman since the Civil War? ​​ On January 14, 1998, Karla Faye was interviewed by Larry King on CNN. ​​ King tried to exploit the gruesome details of the 1983 murder (which Tucker resisted) and could not believe this was anything more than a ‘jailhouse conversion.’ ​​ Perplexed by her positive attitude weeks before her death, King asked, ‘Are you still up? ​​ You have to explain that to me a little more. ​​ It can’t just be God.’ ​​ Karla Faye responded simply, ‘Yes, it can. ​​ It’s called the joy of the Lord.’ ​​ Tough questions pressed Karla Faye to explain her feeling about the impending execution. ​​ She said she was calm and peaceful, and she hoped that the families of her victims would see her love and forgive her. ​​ Her only regret was that she could not continue a life of ministry within America’s prison systems.

 

On February 3, 1998, in Gatesville, Texas, Karla Faye Tucker was executed by lethal injection. ​​ Her final words spoke of love and forgiveness. ​​ Final appeals to the governor of Texas, George W. Bush, were fruitless. ​​ Appeals from Christians around the world fell on deaf ears.

 

Karla Faye’s conversion is poignant and helpful because the power of her Christian life was so directly tied to the power of her sin. ​​ She did not live a day without reflecting on her sin and on God’s forgiveness. ​​ She did not deny the crime any more than the woman caught in adultery denied her wrong-doing. ​​ In each case the possibilities for freedom from sin were the result, not of threat and law, but of forgiveness and love. ​​ Karla Faye was a changed person, and she demonstrated that change for fourteen years. ​​ The woman caught in adultery would be changed too because Christ set her free. ​​ Sadly, the parallel stops there. ​​ Jesus understood the power of grace and released the woman; the state of Texas did not, and Karla Faye was killed.”

 

[Burge, The NIV Application Commentary, John, 246-47].

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