Who is your father?
Notes
Transcript
What does our passage say about God?
Look at verses 56-58
56 Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.”
57 So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?”
58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”
Does that phrase sound familiar? “Before Abraham was, I am?”
13 Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?”
14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’ ”
And I don’t understand people who say that Jesus never claimed to be God. This text is very clear. When Jesus said, “Before Abraham was, I AM?” He was calling Himself God. My question to is how do we know this? Besides studying the Greek and Hebrew, which is important. How else? What proof do we have from our text? Look at verse 59.
59 So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.
15 And speak to the people of Israel, saying, Whoever curses his God shall bear his sin.
16 Whoever blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall stone him. The sojourner as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death.
So based on Jesus’ own claims in this text, there are only two responses to Jesus. The first biblical response is if He His is lying, He needs to be stoned. Or if He is telling the truth, what should our response be? A little hint, we looked at it last week.
16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.
17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted.
How did the Pharisees and other religious leaders know this Book better than anyone else and miss who Jesus really was?
This should give us pause. Because look at verse 32, I heard a pastor speaking about this passage once point out how often verse 32 is quoted with verse 31. And if I am honest, I use to do this a lot!
32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
We can get way off track, if we know this book really well, but ignore verse 31
31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,
32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
So what word in verse 31 jumps out to you? What changes the context of verse 32 from intellectual know of the truth, to action?
31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,
What does Jesus mean by, “abide in my Word” ? Does any other passage come to mind?
What other passage does Jesus talk about abiding?
1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.
2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.
5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.
7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.
9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.
10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.
11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
Just knowing the truth does not set you free, does it?
31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,
32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Jesus is not talking about just intalectual truth, He is speaking about spiritual truth.
There is another very important truth about God in this passage. Look at verse 55
But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word.
God does not lie
Numbers 23:19 (ESV)
God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?
in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began
so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.
What hope do we have from this passage?
51 Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.”
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