A Study of the Book of John
“That You May Believe”
Sermon # 26
“You’re Just Like Your Father”
John 8:31-59
Whether we like it our not we are all products of the influence of our parents. We may claim it is not so but it is. It’s perhaps easiest to see in our own children. In fact someone as stated it this way, “What we like least about our children is what we see of ourselves in them!”
From birth people begin looking for a resemblance to our parents. They make statements like, “He has his father’s eyes.” Or “She sure has her mother’s temperament!” I always told people that our daughter Nikki had my temper because her mother still has all of hers! Just kidding, dear!
Some of us have spent our entire lives trying not to be like our parents but inevitably there are things we do or say because our parents did or said it to us. Most of us have vowed that when we became parents that we would never answer a child’s question of “Why?” with “Because I said so?” But we’ve all done it.
Obviously our parents also influence us genetically. I seem to be an almost perfect average of my parents. Mom had curly hair, Dad had wavy hair, I have both. Mom was 4’11” Dad was 5’ 11” and I am 5’8.”
Jesus had been teaching men about spiritual things, but whenever he suggested that there might be something lacking in their lives that only he could supply (8:31-32), they became angry and defensive. They wanted to talk about their spiritual heritage, but Jesus points out it is about a personal spiritual relationship with God.
Three truths about Faith.
First, Faith Is More Than Having A Religious Heritage. (vv.32-33)
“Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. (32) And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (33) “But we are descendants of Abraham,” they said.”
What is really astounding is to under-stand that these religious leaders are saying that their hope for this life and for life eternal was not based on any dependence on God’s grace or even their own moral behavior but it depended solely on their relationship to Abraham. The common belief of the time was that Abraham was so godly that he had stored up such a vast treasury of merit that if his descendants would draw upon it they would attain whatever righteousness they needed. As far as they are concerned no descendant of Abraham could ever be lost!
Jesus agrees that as Jews they are indeed the physical descendants of Abraham, but in spirit they are as far from Abraham as was conceivable.
In our own day there are people who consider themselves Christians because their parents are Christians, or they were raised in a Christian church. But being a Christian is more than having a spiritual heritage. And Jesus begins to show these men that Faith is more than a spiritual heritage and that in fact Abraham is not really their father.
Not Only Is Faith More Than Having A Religious Heritage but …
Secondly. Faith Is Really Revealed By The Consistency Of Our Actions.
(vv. 37-41)
“Yes, I realize that you are descendants of Abraham. And yet some of you are trying to kill me because there’s no room in your hearts for my message. (38) I am telling you what I saw when I was with my Father. But you are following the advice of your father.” (39) “Our father is Abraham!” they declared.
“No,” Jesus replied, “for if you were really the children of Abraham, you would follow his example. (40) Instead, you are trying to kill me because I told you the truth, which I heard from God. Abraham never did such a thing. (41) No, you are imitating your real father.”
Jesus says there is a real inconsistency between what they profess to believe and what they actually are. This has profound modern application because we see it every-day. We see it in the person who says that they are a Christian but that belief does not make any difference in the way they live their life. I refer to this as the “Yes, but mentality.” They say, “ I know what the Bible says, but…” These individuals may know what the Bible says but it does not affect the way they make decisions. That is the same kind of inconsistency that Jesus was talking about.
It is as though when they find their backs to wall figuratively they feel forced to use their bag of dirty tricks. They now level three unfounded accusations against Jesus, they accuse him of being illegitimate (v.42), of being a sinner (v.46) and of being demon possessed (v.48).
Their first accusation is found in the second part of verse forty-one when they reply to Jesus’ charge by saying, “we are not illegitimate” – their “we” is emphatic and implies a comparison – “we are not illegitimate children (but you certainly are!).
I don’t think it is too difficult too understand what they are driving at. Apparently in the thirty odd years since the birth of Jesus the rumors have abounded. The strange circum-stances surrounding His birth have been reported and discussed over and over. And no matter what Mary and Joseph may have testified throughout the years, there are those who would not believe. As far as the gossip-mongers were concerned; either Joseph and Mary had been intimate before marriage or Mary had been messing around with someone else. As far as these religious leaders are concerned, either way, Jesus is illegitimate.
But you have to appreciate Jesus’ response; He doesn’t even blink because there is not an ounce of truth in what they have said. Instead in the next few verses Jesus gives them a two-fold test that will reveal whether or not they are really the Children of God.
1. The Test Of Love For His Son. (v. 42) In verse forty-two Jesus reveals the first test is whether they love the son of God, “If God were your Father, you would love me, because I have come to you from God. I am not here on my own, but he sent me.”
This statement of Jesus in verse forty two is interesting in that Jesus says, “if God were your father” and “you would love me” as it is expressed in the Greek it implies that both statements are wrong. “If God were your Father (and he is not) you would love me (and you do not)”
2. The Test of Obedience. (vv. 44-47)
Now verse forty-four reveals the second test for real faith is obedience, it is our behavior that testifies of who our father is. Jesus goes on to bluntly state who their father is, “For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies. (45) So when I tell the truth, you just naturally don’t believe me! (46) Which of you can truthfully accuse me of sin? And since I am telling you the truth, why don’t you believe me? (47) Any-one who belongs to God listens gladly to the words of God. But you don’t listen because you don’t belong to God.”
To be told clearly in verse forty-four, “You people are from your father the devil” must have hit them like a slap in the face! These people literally think they have an inside track with God, they thought that they were as much the “sons of God” as it was possible for any men to be. And to be told by Jesus that they are really “sons of the devil” is just inconceivable.
Jesus responds to their second accusation that He is a sinner in verse forty-six by saying, “If you have a legitimate charge against me make it.” He said, “You accuse me of sin – name it. Who have I cheated? Who have I stolen from? Whom have I lied to? Who have I deceived? Can you demonstrate that at any time I have ever committed even one sin?”
Their response to being called “sons of the devil” by Jesus is to level their third accusation against Jesus in verse forty-eight; “The people retorted, “You Samaritan devil! Didn’t we say all along that you were possessed by a demon?” It’s almost like when children in a playground argument do not have a good comeback, “Oh, yeah well you’re a Samaritan devil.”
They know that Jesus is not really a Samaritan by birth, what they are saying is in effect, “You are no better than a Samaritan and a demon-possessed Samaritan at that!” Jesus completely ignores being accused of being a Samaritan. But he did deny being demon-possessed. So in verse forty-nine Jesus says, “No, …I have no demon in me. For I honor my Father - and you dishonor me. (50) And though I have no wish to glorify myself, God is going to glorify me. He is the true judge. (51) I tell you the truth, anyone who obeys my teaching will never die!”
Far from being pacified the men are if anything even more convinced that Jesus is demon-possessed! And so they ask in verse fifty-two, “Now we know you are possessed by a demon. Even Abraham and the prophets died, but you say, ‘Anyone who obeys my teaching will never die!’ (53) Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?”
Did you catch that? Jesus, just who do you think you are? It is Jesus’ answer to this question that brings to the last point.
Not only is Faith Really Revealed By The Consistency Of Our Actions but….
Third, Faith Is All About What You Believe About Jesus. (vv. 54-59)
“Jesus answered, “If I want glory for myself, it doesn’t count. But it is my Father who will glorify me. You say, ‘He is our God,’ (55) but you don’t even know him. I know him. If I said otherwise, I would be as great a liar as you! But I do know him and obey him. (56) Your father Abraham rejoiced as he looked forward to my coming. He saw it and was glad.” (57) The people said, “You aren’t even fifty years old. How can you say you have seen Abraham?”
Jesus astounds his listeners with his starting statement in verse fifty-eight, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I Am!” Of all the “I AM” statements of Jesus without a doubt this proclamation of His divinity is the strongest and the most startling to his listeners.
It was a claim that outraged his listeners. This so infuriated the religious leaders that they immediately took up stones to kill him. To them it was nothing less than blasphemy.
So what did Jesus really say when He said, “before Abraham was even born, I Am!” First of all he was obviously claiming to have existed before Abraham was born. Beyond that He it is also obvious that He is claiming to have always existed. But what really caused the reaction was when Jesus said “I AM!” He was actually using the divine name by which God revealed Himself to Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3:14). Jesus is claiming to be “Jehovah” using the very word “Jehovah.”
Jesus is not claiming to be “a” prophet. He is not claiming to be world’s leading religious teacher. He is not claiming to be the world’s greatest moral example. He is claiming to be God! Sometimes modern interpreters of the Bible say that Jesus never claimed to be God that this was a claim added later by his disciples. One word for that, baloney! History has not done away with Christ’s claim to be God and time has not changed it.
The dividing line in this world is not “if” you believe in Jesus but “what” you believe about Jesus. The Moslems believe in Jesus, they believe he was a great prophet, but not the greatest prophet, that was Mohammed and certainly not the Son of God. Many of the world’s religions have a place for Jesus. The real division occurs about “what” you believe about Jesus.
In reality there are two and only two responses to this claim of Jesus. We may accept it and open our hearts and lives to Jesus to become our Lord and we live our lives to do His will. Or we will reject Him. There is no middle ground. And if we reject Him then we might as well join and do what these Jews did. Verse fifty-nine, “At that point they picked up stones to throw at him.”
Application
In closing I want to share three universal Truths that we can draw from these verses.
First, All people are not the children of God.
There’s a popular notion in our world that God is the Father of all mankind. That No matter our creed or religion or our concept of God, He is the Father of all of us and we are all brothers and sisters. And while this is a pleasant picture, there is just one problem - It’s not true. Jesus ruled this out when he said in verse forty-two, “If God were your Father, you would love me.” Here then is the test. If you want to know whether you belong to God, whether you are one of his children, Do you love Christ? If you do not, you are not a child of God.
Secondly, We are not saved by having a spiritual heritage. If your defense of your faith is that, “My grand-father was a preacher. Or my father is a deacon, or My mother was a wonderful Christian, then you are in trouble.” All of those things are wonderful part of a godly heritage but doesn’t help you if you don’t have a personal relationship with Christ.
Third, Those who do not come to Jesus die in their sins. Jesus very plainly states this truth in verse twenty-four, “There-fore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” Jesus plainly and loving told mankind that without faith in Him, they would die in their sins and be doomed to an eternity in Hell. This truth has not and will not ever be changed!
“You’re Just Like Your Father”
John 8:31-59
Three truths about (Saving) Faith.
First, Faith Is More Than Having A Religious __________. (vv. 32-33)
Secondly. Faith Is Really Revealed By The Consistency Of Our _________. (vv. 37-47)
Two-fold Test That Reveal The Children Of God.
•The Test Of Love For His ______. (v. 42)
Rather than accept Jesus they accuse him of being ___________
of being ___________
of being ___________
•The Test of ________. (vv. 44-47)
Third, Faith Is All About What You Believe About _________. (vv. 54-59)
Application
Three universal Truths
1. All people are not the _________ of God.
2. We are not saved by having a spiritual_________.
3. Those who do not come to Jesus die in their ____.
