Sunday Morning Bible Study

May 2, 2010

Introduction

Do people see Jesus? Is the gospel preached? Does it speak to the broken hearted? Does it build up the church? Milk – Meat – Manna Preach for a decision

Jesus has been teaching in the Temple.

He has been dealing with the issue of just who He is.

As a result of what Jesus said, there were some people who crossed that line and began to believe in Him.

Last week we saw that He made the point that it’s important not just to make that step of starting to believe in Him, but that you make a point of continuing to believe in Him:

(Jn 8:31–32 NKJV) —31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

The freedom that Jesus was talking about was freedom from being enslaved to sin.

The Jewish people Jesus was talking to were a bit confused.  They thought Jesus was talking about being free from human slavery and that as descendants of Abraham, they didn’t think they were enslaved to anyone.

The Jews take quite a bit of pride from being descendants of Abraham.

“Says Rabbi Akiba, even the poor of Israel are to be considered as if they were “noblemen” …because they are the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob”

:37-47 Who’s your daddy?

:37 “I know that you are Abraham’s descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.

:37 descendants – sperma – seed; the product of semen, children, offspring

Jesus knows that the Jews before Him are indeed physical descendants of Abraham like He was, but He’s pointing out that there is a problem with them wanting to kill Him and the fact that some of them are not taking His words seriously.

Even though there were some who had started to believe in Jesus, there were also some present who did not believe in Jesus.  The conversation continues with these unbelievers.

:38 I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father.”

The reason some of these Jews are having a problem with Jesus is because there are two different “fathers” involved.

Jesus has one father, these unbelieving Jews had another father.

:39 They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham.

:39 children – teknon – child; pupils, disciples

In verse 37, Jesus acknowledged that the Jews in front of Him are physical descendants of Abraham.

Here, Jesus is saying that they are not spiritual descendants of Abraham.  Paul wrote,

(Ga 3:7 NLT) The real children of Abraham, then, are those who put their faith in God.

:40 But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this.

Abraham didn’t try to kill people who spoke the truth.

Abraham’s life was one based on His faith in God.  His faith affected the way he lived.

When Zacchaeus the tax collector met Jesus, it changed his life.  He decided that he was going to give back all the money that he had taken wrongly from people.

(Lk 19:9 NKJV) And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham;

:41 You do the deeds of your father.”

:41 You do the deeds of your father

Jesus is going to tell them that their father is the devil.

Lesson

Like Father Like Son

There is some truth to the idea that we inherit or pick up a lot of traits from our parents and our ancestors.

We say, “Like father, like son”, or,

“The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree”

I think that sometimes we make the mistake of not realizing the connection we have with our ancestors.

Whether we pick things up by seeing our parents do them, or whether some trait or characteristic is written into our DNA, we still have this connection with our ancestors (the picture is of my grandparents 98 years ago – Walter played the organ at church).

I remember the first time I heard Peter-John Courson teach.  It was uncanny.  He sounds so much like his dad Jon Courson, it was freaky.  He even has the same kind of laugh.  When he taught at a Pastor’s Conference, the rest of the guys kept laughing, not at Peter John’s jokes, but at how he laughed at his own jokes just like his dad.

What kind of parents did you have?  What kind of family did you grow up in?

Did you have a “Typical Father”?

Play “Father Knows Best” clip.

Some of us are thankful for the connection with our parents.  I’m pretty proud to be the son of Richard and Marion Cathers.

Some of you wish that God had given you different parents.  You did not grow up in a “Father Knows Best” family.

The connection with our ancestors is not one written in stone.

The Jews before Jesus are in fact genetically linked with Abraham.

Yet Jesus is going to point out that they are not acting like Abraham, but like a different “father”, the devil.

The good news is that if you’re not happy with your parents, you can change some of the influence they have on your life.

You can get a new “dad”.

This is what happens when a person is “born again”.

:41 Then they said to Him, “We were not born of fornication; we have one Father—God.”

:41 not born of fornication

There is a hint here of Jesus’ unconventional birth.

Some considered Him a “bastard”, since Mary was pregnant with Jesus before getting married.  The fact that these fellows are hinting at it tells us that it was common knowledge in the day.

We know that Mary wasn’t a girl with loose morals.  We know that indeed God was the one responsible for her pregnancy.

Even today, some people have difficulty with the concept of the “virgin birth”.  Some would say that it was some sort of mythical addition to the story of Jesus, something that was added much later to the story to make it appear that Jesus was some sort of supernatural being.

The truth is, even in Jesus’ day there were questions about the circumstances of His birth and parentage.

:42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me.

How do we know that God is OUR father?  John tells us:

(1 Jn 5:1 NKJV) Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him.

What you think of Jesus will give you a clue as to whether or not God is your Father.

:43 Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word.

:43 understand

If God is not your Father, you are going to have a hard time understanding Jesus or the Scriptures.  Paul wrote,

(1 Co 2:14 NKJV) But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Did you know that right now at this very moment there are a number of voices, pictures, and information floating through this room right now?

If you don’t see them, it’s not because they’re not here, it’s because you don’t have the right equipment to see them.

But if you have a cell-phone, and I call your number, you can answer and talk to me.

If you have a wi-fi enabled laptop on you, you could connect to the internet and download all kinds of things.

If a person does not believe in Jesus, he does not have the right equipment to understand spiritual things the way they ought to be understood.

:44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.

If God is not your Father, then the devil is.

Because God created man, there is a sense in which we are all children of God.

But if you do not believe in God, then spiritually you are a child of the devil.

Paul talks about our lives before meeting Jesus:

(Eph 2:1–2 NKJV) —1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,

:44 desires – epithumia – desire, craving, longing, desire for what is forbidden, lust

Jesus is saying that these fellows want to do the things that their father longs for, the things that Satan “lusts” for.

One of the things that demonstrates who their father is, is what they “lust” after.

Lesson

Satan’s Desires

Jesus gives us two things that the devil “lusts” for.  These same two things are qualities passed on to the devil’s kids.

Murder

:44 murderer – anthropoktonos (“man” + “killer”) – a manslayer, murderer

The devil murdered when he coaxed Adam and Eve into rebelling against God by eating the forbidden fruit. It resulted in their expulsion from the garden, their death.

We too can find ourselves guilty of “murder”.  Jesus said,

(Mt 5:21–22 NLT) —21 “You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’22 But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell.

Some of us have given ourselves permission to be “angry” at certain things.  Be careful about your anger.  Look where it comes from.

Lying

The devil lied when he tempted Eve and said, “You won’t die if you eat this fruit…”

(Ge 3:1–5 NLT) —1 The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?” 2 “Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied.3 “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’ ” 4 “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman.5 “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”

In contrast, Jesus isn’t about lying, but about truth.  Jesus said that if we keep ourselves in God’s Word…

(Jn 8:32 NKJV) And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

Last week I encouraged some of you to stand up at the end of the service.  I asked you to stand if you were a person who was a slave to a particular sin.  I asked you to stand only if you would promise me that you would tell someone else what the problem was, that you would bring the sin into the light, that you would tell the “truth”.

How many of you followed through and took that step of telling another person about your struggle?  Have you taken some steps toward freedom?

:44 speaks from his own

When Satan lies, he’s just being true to his nature.  He is a liar.

Illustration:

A scorpion, being a very poor swimmer, asked a turtle to carry him on its back across the river.  “Are you mad?” exclaimed the turtle. “You’ll sting me while I’m swimming and I’ll drown.”  “My dear turtle,” laughed the scorpion, “If I were to sting you, you would drown and I’d go down with you.  Now where is the logic in that?” “You’re right,” cried the turtle.  “Hop on.”  The scorpion climbed aboard and halfway across the river gave the turtle a mighty sting. As they both sank to the bottom, the turtle, resigned, said, “Do you mind if I ask you something?  You said there is no logic in your stinging me.  Why did you do it?”  “It has nothing to do with logic,” the drowning scorpion replied.  “It’s just my nature.”

These things that are Satan’s desires are a part of our “old nature”, what Satan speaks “from his own resources”

This is why we need a “new nature”, a new birth.  And we must continue to “abide in His word”

:45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.

In contrast to the devil, Jesus tells the truth.

:45 truth – aletheia – what is true in any matter under consideration; reality; “not hidden”

Is your life characterized by lies or hiding things or by “truth”?

They do not believe Jesus because they are connected to the fellow who is a liar.

:46 Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?

convicts – elegcho – to convict, refute, confute

Is there any other person in this world that could say this?  Is there any other person who is not guilty of sin? Only Jesus.

:47 He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.”

:48-59 Jesus and Abraham

:48 Then the Jews answered and said to Him, “Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?”

:48 rightly – kalos – beautifully, finely, excellently, well

“Didn’t we do a beautiful job by calling you a Samaritan…?”

:48 Samaritan – the Samaritans were the people living in central Israel.  Genetically they were “half-breeds”, not pure Jews.  They had a religion that was close to Judaism, but had perverted and twisted it.  Jews hated Samaritans.

:48 demon – accusing Jesus of having a demon could be specifically that, or it may be equivalent to saying that Jesus was “out of His mind”.

John records three times when Jesus was accused of having a demon.

(Jn 7:20 NKJV) —20 The people answered and said, “You have a demon. Who is seeking to kill You?”

(Jn 8:52 NKJV) —52 Then the Jews said to Him, “Now we know that You have a demon! Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, ‘If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.’

(Jn 10:20 NKJV) —20 And many of them said, “He has a demon and is mad. Why do you listen to Him?”

:49 Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.

It’s just a little wrong to tell the Son of God that He is demon possessed, don’t you think?

:50 And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges.

They accused Jesus earlier of tooting His own horn:

(Jn 8:13 NKJV) The Pharisees therefore said to Him, “You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true.”

Jesus is not tooting His own horn, but the Father is going to be seeking to see Jesus glorified.

:51 Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death.”

:51 Most assuredly – the Greek is amen amen (or, “truly, truly”)

Jesus tends to say this when He is going to say something very important, something worth listening to.

This is a verse that ought to be underlined in your Bible.

:51 keeps – tereo – to attend to carefully, take care of; to guard; to observe

Quite a bold claim here.

Back in verse 31 Jesus said,

(Jn 8:31 NKJV) Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.

And that leads to us experiencing truth and being set free from sin’s slavery.

He claims that if you “keep” His word, you will never die.

There may be a physical death, but there will never be an eternal spiritual death.  There will never be an eternal separation from God.

(Jn 11:25 NKJV) Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.

Lesson

Do you believe in Jesus?

The Bible tells us that there is a terrible price tag associated with our sin:

(Ro 6:23 NKJV) For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Our sin results in spiritual death, separation from God.

But God loved us so much that He sent His Son Jesus to die in our place, to pay for our sins.

(Jn 3:16 NKJV) For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

If you will believe in Jesus, if you will trust God that Jesus has paid for your sins, then you too will have eternal life.

:52 Then the Jews said to Him, “Now we know that You have a demon! Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, ‘If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.’

:53 Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? And the prophets are dead. Who do You make Yourself out to be?”

These Jewish fellows understand correctly that Jesus is claiming to be superior to Abraham and the prophets.

They just don’t realize that it’s true.

:54 Jesus answered, “If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God.

:55 Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I say, ‘I do not know Him,’ I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word.

:56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.”

:56 Abraham rejoiced to see My day – Jesus is God’s long promised Messiah.  He is God’s long promised Savior.

Abraham knew that one day God would send the Messiah.

How did Abraham know Jesus?

The Promise:

(Ge 12:3 NKJV) I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

We know that this blessing for the whole world was ultimately fulfilled in Jesus.

Melchizedek:

A strange, mysterious individual to whom Abraham gave a tenth of all the spoils to, who greeted Abraham with bread and wine, and who blessed Abraham (Gen. 14).

Some have suggested the Melchizedek might have been an appearance of Jesus.  He was at least a good picture of Jesus (Heb. 7).

The Angel of the LORD

A specific Old Testament individual which we believe was Jesus.

He was one of the three “visitors” to Abraham’s tent (Gen. 18)

He would stop Abraham from sacrificing his son (Gen. 22)

The Son:

Abraham’s promised son Isaac had a pretty miraculous birth.  Abraham the Father was willing to sacrifice Isaac His son (Gen. 22).

:57 Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?”

:57 fifty years old – They are scratching their heads.  Jesus sounds as if He actually knows Abraham even though Abraham lived 2,000 years before Jesus.

Luke says that Jesus was thirty years old when He started His ministry (Luke 3:23)

(Lk 3:23 NKJV) —23 Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, the son of Heli,

Why did they pick out the number “50”?

To the Jews, the age of 50 was when a man was finally fit to give advice and counsel.

This is why the Levites stopped their serving in the Temple at age 50, since it was better for them to be giving counsel than to be bearing burdens (Gill).

They are saying that Jesus isn’t old enough to be “wise”.

:58 Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”

:58 Most assuredly – the Greek is again amen amen

Again, Jesus is going to say something very important, something worth listening to.

This is another verse that ought to be underlined in your Bible.

:59 Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

:58 I AM – ego eimi

What’s the deal here?  Are the Jews wanting to stone Jesus because He has a serious case of bad grammar?

Play clip from Gospel of John.

The people around Jesus knew exactly what He was saying and they picked up stones to throw at Him because in their eyes Jesus was committing the ultimate blasphemy.

Jesus was claiming to be God.

In John 10, the Jews will again try to stone Jesus.  When Jesus asks why …

(Jn 10:33 NKJV) The Jews answered Him, saying, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God.”

When Moses met God at the burning bush, Moses asked God what His name was.  God’s reply was:

(Ex 3:14 NKJV) And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ”

We are familiar with God’s name in Hebrew as “Yahweh”.  This is a name that is associated with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

In the Greek translation of the Old Testament (the Septuagint), the phrase “I AM” in Greek is “ego eimi”.

Jesus was claiming to be Yahweh.  He was claiming to be God.

There are some who make the wild claim that Jesus never claimed to be God.

I’ve got news for you – even the Jews in Jesus’ day knew what He was saying.  He was claiming to be God.

Do you believe in Him?