Eternal Choices Eternal Destinies
Fortifying the Foundations # 20
John 8:12-30[1]
11-16-03
Intro
There is in the passage before us this morning a life and death struggle going on in the hearts of these Pharisees and in the crowd that is listening to their dialogue with Jesus. The issues are eternal and they are basically the same ones people deal with today. Tragically some of the characters in this story make choices that will lead to eternal death. They are offered life by the only one qualified to give life. And they reject the invitation. But how is it that they could be standing face to face with Jesus Christ himself and still not receive life? What would cause a person to make the kind of choice these religious leaders are making? Where is their fear of God? What has emboldened them to challenge the creator of heaven and earth?
I. We begin this morning with Jesus’ Gracious Invitation to follow him.
It is after the Feast of Tabernacles—possibly the eighth day (which had been added to the seven day event) or possibly a day or so after that. We don’t know exactly. But the activities of the Feast would have been fresh on everyone’s mind.[2] As you recall the purpose of the Feast was to celebrate the harvest and to give thanks to God for delivering Israel out of Egyptian slavery. During that week they even lived in temporary booths (tents) to help them remembers God’s faithfulness to their forefathers during Israel’s wilderness journey. How many remember the Pillar of Cloud by day and the Pillar of Fire by night as Israel traveled from Egypt to the promise land. It was a supernatural manifestation of God’s presence with and His care for His people. It gave them the light they needed at night and the guidance they needed both day and night.
One of the most spectacular events during the Feast of Tabernacles was the lighting of the great candelabra. The crowd would watch each night during the celebration as young men climbed 75 feet in the air to pour oil in the four huge candelabra and light up the whole temple area.[3] With electricity we are used to well light streets and malls in our society. But this was quite a spectacle for these first century Jews. Imagine their joy and imagine the impression it made on their minds as they watched the temple area light up.
The darkness of the first night after the feast was quite a contrast. Now as Jesus sits at the temple court teaching he says to them, “I am the Light of the world” –not just a light to light up the temple area, although all of that was in anticipation of me, not just the light of Israel, but I am the Light of the whole world. I am the promised Messiah!
Listen to just a few scriptures that identified the coming Messiah as the Light of the world.
Isa 42:6-7 "I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness;I will take hold of your hand.
I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, 7to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.” NIV
Isa 49:5-6
5And now the LORD says--he who formed me in the womb to be his servant to bring Jacob back to him and gather Israel to himself, for I am honored in the eyes of the LORD and my God has been my strength-- 6he says:
"It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles,
that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth." NIV
Do you remember after Jesus was born, Joseph and Mary brought Jesus to the temple to consecrate him to the Lord and there was an elderly saint there by the name of Simeon who prayed of Jesus? Luke 2:25-32
“Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
29"Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace.
30For my eyes have seen your salvation, 31which you have prepared in the sight of all people, 32a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel." NIV
The Bible says Joseph and Mary marveled at Simeon’s revelation. It was a revelation of Jesus as the Messiah—as “a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.”
In our text, when Jesus said, “I am the Light of the world” he was unquestionably declaring himself to be the Messiah and those Jewish listeners knew exactly what he meant. For us it may sound like a nice metaphor. But for them it was a declaration of Messiah’s arrival. That’s why it provoked such a response by these religious leaders.
He followed that declaration with an invitation that is extended to every person in this room and is just as valid now as it was then—“Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life[4].” Here is the great divide in human experience—the contrast between light and darkness, good and evil, life and death, God and Satan.
Jesus is addressing “the problem” we all face. The greatest problem today is not the war in Iraq per say. That is just a symptom of the problem. It’s not terrorism or cancer or natural disasters[5]. All those things are mere symptoms of a reality that runs much, much deeper.
“God is light and in him is no darkness at all.”[6] But there are dark forces at work.
1 John 5:19 “We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.” NIV Sin, spiritual darkness, deception, corruption fill the earth. Every human being is born into a world darkened by rebellion against God’s rule. Why is there so much suffering in the world? Because as a whole the world is not reconciled to God--the world is under the influence of the evil rebel and his corrupting influence. Don’t blame God for the injustices and tragedies that fill this cosmos. Blame rebellion against God—blame darkness—blame sin. But someone might say, “Why doesn’t God do something about it?” He most certainly is. First He sent the Joy of Heaven (His only Son) to pay the price of redemption. Jesus’ death on the cross was God’s most profound statement against human sorrow. What else is He doing? He is sending you and me to heal the broken hearted and deliver the oppressed—to execute the legal rights that Jesus purchased on the cross. Read Isaiah 58 and you will discover what God is doing about human sorrow.
But how does an individual break lose from the tyranny of sin? How can we come out of the domain of darkness and its sphere of influence into the domain of God and His influence of light and purity? By following Jesus! “Whoever follows me (Jesus said) will never walk in darkness.” That tells me two things: (1) Jesus will never lead me into darkness. He will never lead me into sin. So if I will just obey him, if I will just follow him like a sheep follows a shepherd I will not find myself in darkness but in light and life. (2) On the other hand, if I am living in sin, if I am walking in darkness I must not be following Jesus—because that’s not where he is going.
Notice how positive the solution is. It’s not that I fight off my horrible lust and selfishness and greed so I can follow Jesus. That would be impossible for me to do. But if I will choose to follow Jesus, if I will decide that he is my only hope, if I will make a simple yet profound choice in my will and continue in that choice no matter how imperfect or how weak I may feel my walk with him is—that choice lived out day by day will take me where I need to go. I must come to a determination in my heart that if I do nothing else, the one thing I will do is follow Jesus. And if my performance is nothing to be proud of, if I stumble, if I falter, I will still continue in that one direction of life. Can you say with firm conviction this morning, “I have decided to follow Jesus?” Peter didn’t follow Jesus perfectly, but he followed him as a choice of life. James and John and the other disciples were slow learners like some of us are. But they were followers of Jesus and that journey led them out of darkness into light.
I read a story about a grandfather who took his little grandson for a walk in the woods. As they were walking along they stopped for a moment & the grandfather asked, "Do you know where we are?" The little boy said, "No!"
The grandfather asked, "Do you know where we’re going?" And the little boy again said, "No!" The grandfather chuckled and said, "Well, I guess you’re lost then." The boy looked up at his grandfather and said, "No, I’m not lost. I’m with you."[7] When you’re with Jesus, when you’re following him, you’re not lost and you will get where you need to be.
Here is the offer of a lifetime and what do the Pharisees do with it? They hardly even hear it let alone receive it. There they are standing before the Lord of glory—the one who could change them from a creature of hell to a creature of heaven. But they miss the point of it all. Why? They are preoccupied with something else. Oh, they hear his words. But the words don’t penetrate the depths of their hearts. Jesus is offering them the gift of eternal life—the opportunity to be changed and spend eternity with him. But their mind is focused on their own agenda—to catch Jesus in some mistake and discredit him before the crowd.
What a tragedy it is when any human being comes to Christ preoccupied with his or her own agenda rather than being open to what Jesus is saying. May we never be guilty of such insensitivity? What is Jesus trying to say to you this morning? Are you hearing his heart toward you? “He who has an ear let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” Rev 2:7 NIV
These Pharisees think they have caught him on a technicality. Verse 13, “Here you are appearing as your own witness; your testimony is not valid.” I wonder if these men had kept record of Jesus’ words in John 5:31 just for a time like this. There, Jesus had said, "If I testify about myself, my testimony is not valid.” “Oh, now we’ve got him. Now we’ve caught him in an inconsistency.” Surely they had not kept record of that, for all those months? Have you known people who keep record like that? (Anything to win an argument) Instead of receiving truth and receiving the help they need, they are simply trying to win. What’s behind it all? Pride. Are you keeping records on anyone like that? It’s better to win the person than to win the argument. 1 Cor. 13:4-5 “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.” NIV
Jesus simply tells these guys, “You don’t know what you’re talking about because you are trying to judge something way over your head. You don’t even know where I came from. You are operating out of your very limited human understanding. First of all, my testimony is valid because it is true. Second, I do have a second witness to validate my statement—the very best possible witness, God the Father, who by the way is always with me. So even if we do this according to your own rules[8], my testimony still proves valid.”
Now he has thoroughly answered their complaint. What will they do? Will they humble themselves and say, “Surly this is the Son of God, I will bow to him, I will follow him”?
No, they try again to trap him. “Well then, let’s see your witness, let’s see your father—if He’s the one validating your testimony.” I think Jesus’ answer in verse 19 might be paraphrased something like this, “You wouldn’t know him if I did show him to you. Your mind is made up and you are not seeking the truth.” We know at that point their hearts were completely hardened against him and they had every desire to kill Jesus on the spot. But don’t you just love that statement at the end of verse 20, “Yet no one seized him, because his time had not yet come.” We may not understand all the ways of God.[9] And we may not understand the whole process. But what we can know for sure is God is ultimately in control and He ultimately calls the shots over our lives.[10] I find that extremely comforting.
Now Jesus has make an offer of grace and they have flatly turned it down.
II. What follows is a Horrifying Prediction of what their destiny will be— not by God’s choice but by their choice. God “... is willing that none would perish, but all come to repentance.”[11] The offer of salvation has been refused. The offer of light and life has been refused. So they remain in their sin. They remain in their darkness.
Verse 21 “Once more Jesus said to them, “I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come.”
Those words will ring in their minds for all eternity! “You will die in your sin.” Can you think of anything more horrifying than to hear such a statement from God Himself? “You will die in your sin.” Notice the word sin is singular rather than plural. Later in verse 24 he uses the plural (sins). All their choices can be summarized in one word, sin. “You will die in your sin.” There are only two ways to die. One is to die in sin. The other is to die in grace. In Matt 10:28 Jesus said, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” NIV Was Jesus being manipulative when he made that statement? Here in our text, was he just trying to scare these Pharisees into following him? I don’t think so. I think he was just telling them the truth. I’m not so sure we do people any kind of favor by shielding them from eternal realities. The truth is everybody dies[12] and goes to one of two places—heaven or hell. Our society acts like there is something wrong with a person who would even refer to hell. They use all kinds of filthy words and consider them socially acceptable. But let the Christian follow Jesus’ example here and he’s branded as a manipulative intimidator.
Well, hell sounds pretty intimidating to me and I’ve decided that I don’t want to go there. When we stop talking about eternal destiny, we have pulled the foundations out from under our own evangelistic efforts. Paul wrote in 1 Cor. 15:19 “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.” NIV Following Jesus is not just about finding a way to be more successful in my job and my marriage. Those kinds of things do happen when we follow Jesus and many times a crisis in some of those areas gets our attention so we can hear his call to follow him. But bottom line, eternity is a whole lot longer than this temporal life and matters a whole lot more. We are not just dealing with trivial matters like how to be more popular or how to make more money. We’re dealing with eternal destinies.
“Where I go you can not come.” Where did Jesus go when he died and rose again? He went to paradise. But in the after life those in Hades cannot transfer over to paradise. Once the door is shut on that prison cell there is no escape. It’s not like these work release program where a criminal is free to go out during the day to work a job as long as he’s back in his cell that night. There is no work release program in hell.
Remember the story of Lazarus and the Rich Man. Luke 16:22-26
"The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24So he called to him, `Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’
25"But Abraham replied, `Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’ NIV
The Pharisees tried to turn the tables on Jesus. They were sure they would go to heaven. “So, Jesus, I guess that means you will go to hell.” They look at one another and before the crowd one of them says to the others, “Will he commit suicide? Is that why he says, where I go, you cannot come?” They did not really think that was what he meant but they were working the crowd.[13] They were saying, “Surly he’s not planning to kill himself.” Of course, the Jews would not approve at all of suicide.[14]
In answer to their sly little comment, Jesus did two things in verse 23. First, he identified for them their basic problem. Jesus was born from above; they were born in sin from below as a part of fallen humanity. They were a part of the ungodly world system; Jesus was not. They needed to be born again, born from above, (regenerated to be fitted for eternity in heaven).[15] All that, they refused to acknowledge.
Secondly, Jesus affirmed again that they would die in their sins and this time he put his finger on the one overriding issue, “I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be.” Their refusal to believe was the central issue—refusal to believe what? To believe that Jesus is “I am” (who he claims to be, the divine Son of God). It does matter what we believe. The substance needs to be true. And the belief must be such that it determines the direction of our life—to follow Jesus.[16]
John 3:18-20 “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. 19This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.” NIV
To make matters even more clear, Jesus spoke further concerning their destiny. John 8:28, “So Jesus said, ‘When you have lifted up the Son of Man (what is he referring to there? He is primarily referring to his crucifixion. Some of these men will be involved in that injustice.) then you will know that I am the one I claim to be.” So there on the day of his crucifixion, what happened?
1. From noon to 3:00 o’clock a chilling darkness fell, a darkness that could be felt.
2. At the moment of Jesus’ death the curtain of the temple tore in two from top to bottom, opening the way into the Holy of Holies.
3. An earthquake shook the ground and split the rocks.
4. Tombs broke open and the bodies of godly people were raised to life.
5. The Roman soldiers shook in fear saying, “Surely he was the Son of God.”[17]
That day of the crucifixion God preached His sermon about Jesus. He did it without words. But the message was loud and clear. He is who he said he is![18] “When you have lifted up the Son of Man then you will know that I am...” That knowledge came too late for these people and did not change their hardened hearts.
In the crowd as a whole some were being persuaded by Jesus’ comments. Verse 30 says, “Even as he spoke, many put their faith in him.” Next time we will talk about what that means. It certainly does not mean these Pharisees got saved.
The tragic message of this passage is this: When people reject Christ for who he is, they reject their only hope of salvation. Someone might say, “That sounds a little narrow to me. Aren’t their many ways to heaven?” No[19], only one person died for your sins. Jesus alone is “the way, the truth, and the life.” Buddha did not pay the penalty for your sin. Mohammad did not provide the redemption of your soul. A philosophy alone may be somewhat helpful in this life but does not atone for sin. These Pharisees rejected Christ and chose for themselves an eternal destiny that is summarized by Jesus with these words, “You will die in your sin.”
On the other hand, the offer Jesus makes at the beginning of our passage still stands for every human being that will receive it, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” What a precious promise.
Do you have the light of life abiding in your soul? Have you chosen to follow him? It comes down to a simple decision to follow him. This is your day to make that choice. (Invitation)
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Text: John 8:12-30
12When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."
John 8:12-30
13The Pharisees challenged him, "Here you are, appearing as your own witness; your testimony is not valid."
14Jesus 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. 15You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. 16But if I do judge, my decisions are right, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me. 17In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two men is valid. 18I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me."
19Then they asked him, "Where is your father?"
"You do not know me or my Father," Jesus replied. "If you knew me, you would know my Father also." 20He spoke these words while teaching in the temple area near the place where the offerings were put. Yet no one seized him, because his time had not yet come.
21Once more Jesus said to them, "I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come."
22This made the Jews ask, "Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, `Where I go, you cannot come’?"
23But he continued, "You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am [the one I claim to be], you will indeed die in your sins."
25"Who are you?" they asked.
"Just what I have been claiming all along," Jesus replied. 26"I have much to say in judgment of you. But he who sent me is reliable, and what I have heard from him I tell the world."
27They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father. 28So Jesus said, "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am [the one I claim to be] and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. 29The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him." 30Even as he spoke, many put their faith in him.
NIV
Richard Tow
Grace Chapel Foursquare Church
Springfield, MO
www.gracechapelchurch.org
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[1] The text, which was read before the sermon, is provided at the end of this message for quick reference.
[2] Alfred Edersheim, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, Vol. III (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1984) p.164.
[3] Leon Morris, Reflections on the Gospel of John, (Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 2000) p. 301. Morris says they climbed 50 cubits. A natural cubit was the approximate length of a man’s forearm to the tip of the middle finger, which was about 17 or 18 inches.
[4] Edersheim points out that it is not the light of knowledge but the light of life.
[5] Romans 8:19-23
[6] I John 1:5
[7] Melvin Newland, “The Light of the World”, sermon preached in March 2003 at Central Christian Church in Brownsville, Texas.
[8] Deut. 17:6; 19:15
[9] Deut. 29:29
[10] Psalms 103:19; 115:3
[11] II Peter 3:9 NKJV
[12] Hebrews 9:27
[13] John 8:22 Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1997 by Biblesoft & Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament. Copyright (c) 1985 by Broadman Press
[14] Leon Morris, p. 311
[15] John 3:7
[16] Ibid, p. 314
[17] Matthew 27:45-54
[18] Ivor Powell, John’s Wonderful Gospel (Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1983) p. 187-189
[19] Matthew 7:13-14
