Who is Jesus?

John 8 : 48 - 59  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  45:05
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Week after week - for the past several months now - we’ve been seeing - OVER AND OVER AGAIN...
Jesus Christ build a case - on this earth - for who He truly is...
Over and over again - Jesus speaking to mankind in a way - to DECLARE to the world who He is
And AS HE CONTINUES to beat this same drum - CONVERSATION after CONVERSATION...
moment by moment...
This MOMENTUM is building up - and the MOMENTUM itself is a mixed bag of -
Truth - from Christ
Confusion - on the part of man - and
Hatred - on the part of man
ON THE ONE HAND - As we’ve made our way through this Gospel of John - We’ve HEARD Christ say...
John 4:14 ESV14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
John 6:35 ESV35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
John 6:54 ESV54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.
John 8:12 ESV12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, c“If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will dknow the truth, and the truth ewill set you free.” 33

So on the one hand - these TRUTHS coming from the mouth of Christ…DECLARING truth about WHO HE IS...
And ON THE OTHER HAND - We heard Him call out mankind - DECLARING WHO MAN IS in light of GOD
You are DEPENDENT on this world (John 4:13)
You are SINNERS (John 5:14)
You have NEVER heard the Father’s voice (John 5:37)
God’s word is NOT abiding in you (John 5:38)
God’s love is NOT IN YOU (John 5:42)
The one ON WHOM you set your hope, (Moses), accuses you (John 5:45)
You will DIE in your sins (John 8:21)
Christ here - CALLING out mankind - ALL those who do not believe...
And so Jesus is speaking to these men in such a way - that they now HAVE TO DEAL with Christ...
Christ can no longer be ignored...He must be dealt with!  And He must be dealt with - by you
And SO - this tension is building…and it rises to it’s highest level - so far....today.
So have this tension in your mind now as we enter the waters of our passage today...
John 8:48–59 ESV
48 The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” 49 Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. 50 Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge. 51 Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” 52 The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.’ 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?” 54 Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ 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. 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.” 59 So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.
​When we look at this passage, as a whole - what stands out is the Claim of Christ in v58....
As a whole - we see Christ - explicitly - without question - DECLARE Himself to be - God
​BUT TODAY - what we're going to do is - we're going to break up this passage into 2 sections...and we'll look at the first section today...
And the next section next week - WITH THAT SAID -we still want to have in our mind the main point of this whole passage...
The main theme as a whole - is this - 
Jesus Christ:  As Man, As Messiah, As God This week we'll focus in on Jesus as Man & Messiah... And then next week, we'll look at Jesus as God (and focus in on the doctrine of the Trinity - and all the blessings that come from our Triune God).
SLIDE: Jesus Christ: As Man

Jesus Christ

Let's look at WHY Jesus came as a man...
Why go about it that way?
Couldn’t God - after the fall had easily just YELLED down from heaven and said - BELIEVE ME OR DIE!...
And then just stayed silent until the end?
He could have...
But why didn’t He?
Let’s how man was created...
Genesis 1:27 ESV
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
- So - mankind is created in the IMAGE of God!
That’s a GREAT start right?
Mankind - in complete UNION with God, in the garden...
NOTHING between God and man except for pure WORSHIP...
But then - SIN happens
Romans 5:12 ESV
12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—
Couple this with Romans 6:23
Romans 6:23 ESV
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
ALL men sinned - the wages of sin is death...
WE ALL - deserve DEATH… destruction
SIN - is the issue… It has to be DEALT with!
Well how do we deal with SIN?
Better yet - How does God deal with it?
We see that in the Old Testament sacrificial system, sacrifices were made on behalf of the people of God...
to temporarily atone for their sins...
And this makes sense based on what Hebrews tells us...
Hebrews 9:22 ESV
22 Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.
Do you see that?
Without the shedding of BLOOD - there is no forgiveness of sins.
SO WHY IS JESUS even STANDING before these Jews today in our text...
CONVERSING with them - going back and forth with them?
Why is He even standing there?
Because ONLY Jesus Christ [AS MAN] could fulfill the requirement necessary for FORGIVENESS to come...
If BLOOD is necessary for FORGIVENESS to come…then Jesus needed to come AS A MAN...
But that’s only HALF the story...
[DEATH] is only PART of this equation.
What else was necessary for FORGIVENESS to come?
Romans 8 tells us...
Romans 8:3–4 ESV
3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
what does [this] say…?
The “Righteous REQUIREMENT of the law”...
What does that statement imply?
*If you were standing in line…and the sign above that line said: The Standard Requirement of ID Needed...
What would you assume? That you - NEEDED your ID
These verses here tell us that Jesus CAME (IN THE FLESH) in order that the - RIGHTEOUS requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us!
RIGHTEOUSNESS is required to get to heaven!
Perfection [IN THE FLESH] is the requirement!
HENCE - why - the Righteous One - Jesus - CAME IN THE FLESH!
He - FULFILLED the law!
SO THAT’S WHY
That’s why Jesus is STANDING before these men today...
That’s why He came - AS A MAN
But these Jews that Jesus was talking to HAD NO PROBLEM…accepting that Jesus was - a man
They could SEE him...
they could HEAR him...
He was A MAN standing before them...
BUT they had to contemplate MORE than that!
Jesus begins saying things that cause them to have to CONSIDER Him as being more than just a man...
John 8:48–51 ESV
48 The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” 49 Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. 50 Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge. 51 Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.”
Couple of different claims here by Christ...
And one that would have caught the attention of the Jews right here in v51...
He says - “If anyone keeps [MY] word, he will never see death!”
STUNNING claim! by Christ...
Jesus says - If anyone KEEPS MY word, he will NEVER see death!
And this is where the Jews toss Jesus into the ring with Abraham!
Remember earlier when they said - ARE WE NOT RIGHT IN SAYING....you're a Samaritan and have a demon...? - We sorta kinda think maybe that you have a demon...
Listen to their response to this new claim by Christ now....
John 8:52 ESV
52 The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.’
• They've decided - this guy (JESUS) is OFF His ROCKER!
And so what do they do? - here comes Abraham into the equation...
they're going to bring their HEAVYWEIGHT into the equation...
John 8:53 ESV
53 Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?”
What the Jews are doing here is - they're LOOKING at the world as THEY know it...
And making REALITY claims based on their own PERCEPTION of reality...
Here's how the Jews logic went:
Did Abraham die? - yes - therefore - Jesus is a LIAR!
In their minds - it wasn't that complicated!
And in their minds - Jesus was a LIAR - because if what Jesus was saying was true...
Then THAT meant that Abraham would have been SUBSERVIENT to this man - Jesus
Which is why they ask Jesus - Are you GREATER than our father Abraham?
You can see this tension building in the minds of the Jews
They start this conversation with GOD on the top shelf...
o then Abraham
o And what Jesus is doing is He's making claims that are forcing Him to climb the latter in the minds of the Jews...
And they get here to a point where they have to ask Jesus...
ARE YOU SAYING you're GREATER than our father Abraham?
Now - Jesus is ULTIMATELY heading down the road that will end with Him declaring to be God...
BUT...
On the way down that road…Jesus is declaring Himself to be - THE WAY
Let’s see how...
These men are standing here in front of Jesus…asking Him who He’s claiming to be...
How does He respond?
John 8:54–55 ESV
54 Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ 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.
Do you see what Jesus did here?
NOW - if I stood up here and declared that the world should - HONOR me...HONOR me...
What - SHOULD you say?
Who.Are.You???
WHY.Should.We.Do.That?
You SHOULD say that! - and Jesus knows that this is what the Jews would have thought...
So He responds...
John 8:54 ESV
54 Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’
Think of how Christ, THE MAN, is approaching these MONOTHEISTIC Jews...
He’s about to BLOW their minds - but first...
He takes the GOD they CLAIM to know....and He says - NO - He’s on my side…He’s with Me...
AND you don’t KNOW HIM!
Jesus says - I’m not here TOOTIN my own horn…God is on MY SIDE! - not yours...
And REALLY - in doing so - Jesus was claiming to be = THE MESSIAH!

Jesus Christ

Now - the Jews should have SEEN this...
They should have known who Jesus was...
if we look back through the OT and we see ALL of the prophecies concerning the coming Messiah...
We find all of them pointing to Jesus Christ...
Let’s start with Abraham...
The Nations will be blessed through Abraham’s lineage:
The Prophecy:
Genesis 12:3 ESV
3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
The Fulfillment:
Acts 3:25–26 ESV
25 You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.’ 26 God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness.”
This prophecy fulfilled in Jesus Christ
David’s offspring will have an eternal kingdom:
The Prophecy:
2 Samuel 7:12–13 ESV
12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
The Fulfillment:
Matthew 1:1 ESV
1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
Hebrews 1:8 ESV
8 But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.
This prophecy fulfilled in Jesus Christ
A virgin will give birth, and He will be called Immanuel (God with us):
The Prophecy:
Isaiah 7:14 ESV
14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
The Fulfillment:
Luke 1:35 ESV
35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.
This prophecy fulfilled in Jesus Christ
Jesus will have a sinless, blemish-free life and ministry:
The Prophecy:
Exodus 12:5 ESV
5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats,
The Fulfillment:
Hebrews 9:14 ESV
14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
These are just a few of the prophecies fulfilled in Christ...
It’s said that there are about 300 prophecies - ALL fulfilled / to be fulfilled in Jesus Christ...
These Jews MISSED their Savior!
Listen - they claimed to KNOW GOD...
But they missed Jesus...
Which means - by default - that they DIDN’T KNOW GOD!
See- many religions out there today are exactly the same...
Jehovah's Witnesses:
Yes - they believe in God...
They would say just like the Jews did in v54 - He is our God
they rejoice IN JESUS...but as what?
They rejoice IN JESUS as - a CREATED being...
They rejoice in Jesus as - Michael the Arch Angel
They rejoice in the INSUFFICIENCY of Jesus' work on the cross...they believe salvation is obtained through a combination of faith, Good works, and obedience.
We know they believe in a FALSE Christ...one that cannot save...YET.....are they passionate - JUST like the Pharisees Jesus spoke to
Mormons:
Yes - they believe in God...
They would say just like the Jews did in v54 - He is our God
Mormons REJOICE in Jesus...but as what?
They rejoice in Jesus as - a created being...
a created being thru NATURAL sexual relations between God and Mary.
They rejoice in Jesus as - Lucifer's brother
They rejoice in the INSUFFICIENCY of Christ's work on the cross...Because they believe that you can EARN heaven thru obedience...
They believe in a FALSE Christ....YET - they rejoice over him...they live for him...
THEIR truth is THEIR own....and as such....FALSE.
And here’s the controversial one...
Catholicism:
Yes - Catholics believe in God
They would say - He is our God!
Catholics rejoice in Jesus....but as what?
They rejoice in Jesus as - INSUFFICIENT...
THEY DON'T BELIEVE that Christ's work on the cross was sufficient...
You must WORK in the Catholic faith, IN ORDER to TRY and earn heaven...
You must COOPERATE with Grace in order to TRY to earn Heaven!
All of this - renders Christ - insufficient!
And these Jews that we looked at today - those standing before Christ - believe Him to be INSUFFICIENT!
SUMMARY:
Today we’ve seen Christ make some startling claims...
Jesus Christ
As Man
As Messiah
Next week we’ll see Christ as God - as we dive into the Biblical teaching of the Trinity...
And all the blessings a Triune God bestows upon us…daily!
Let’s Pray
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