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That's a Devil of a
Problem John 8:37-47
Have you ever noticed that our families have something to do with the
way we turn out?
Two little girls were discussing family resemblance. “I look like Mom,”
said the nine-year-old, “but I have Dad’s eyes and Dad’s lips.”
The six-year-old said, “And I look just like Dad, but I have light
hair.” Then the six-year-old turned to Kathleen. “Mom,” she asked, “what
does Dad have to do with us being born anyway?”
The old sister jumped right in. “Don’t be stupid, Christina. Dad is the
one who drove Mom to the hospital.”
Well, it is true. Our fathers do have something to do with the way we
turn out.
Today we are going to discuss the relationship and the impact fathers
have, but it is on a much different level than we normally think. In our
study today, the relationship is observed on the spiritual level.
First a little review. In our previous studies in John 8, we have noted
conflict between Jesus and the Jewish leaders.
First, there was the “Woman caught in adultery” it was quite the scene.
The Jewish leaders have been seeking to pit Jesus against the Law of
Moses. So they create a set-up with a woman that is caught in the act of
adultery (we know this is a set-up because the man is nowhere to be
seen). If Jesus chooses to let her go, they will charge Him with going
against the Law. If He goes along with them, then they can get Him in
trouble with Rome. Their trap was flawed, though. They were the ones
that ended up being caught for they were confronted about who they were.
They were the ones that were guilty. Jesus had made sure that they all
walked away, convicted of their own sin.
Next we studied the familiar proclamation by Jesus “I am the Light of
the world”. This was a truth that the Jewish leaders certainly had
difficulty facing. When Jesus said, “I am the light of the world,” he
insinuated that they were lost. They were in darkness. Therefore, they
needed Jesus. Not only that, and even more importantly, when He said, “I
am,” they were confronted with His very exclusive claim of deity. It was
the truth, however, they did not want to hear.
Last week we considered another familiar saying of Jesus “The truth will
set you free.” When Jesus spoke about the truth that is so freeing, He
was speaking about more than just knowing what was true and what was
not. He was talking about the true freedom that comes in knowing the One
that embodies truth. Just knowing facts wasn’t enough. What really
matters is that you know the One who is the truth. This was another
point of conflict that the Jewish leaders found absolutely unacceptable
and leads to the conflict we come to today.
Today we will find three problems that the leaders revealed about
themselves when they confronted Jesus.
The first problem is INCONSISTENCY (37-40).
“I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me
because my word finds no place in you. I speak of what I have seen with
my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.” They
answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were
Abraham’s children, you would be doing what Abraham did, but now you
seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God.
This is not what Abraham did.”
I think we all realize that a godly spiritual heritage can be a powerful
influence in our lives.
When in this continuing debate with the Jewish leaders, Jesus willingly
concedes this point. They are physically of Abraham’s line. The leaders
thought that directing Jesus to this holy heritage would be a convincing
response. But it hardly ended the argument.
They may have been the heirs of Abraham, they may have a holy heritage,
but they had not fulfilled the promise. They were to be a light of
revelation to the Gentiles. But it was so hard to be a light, when you
live in darkness. They had no vision, because they were children of
darkness.
A godly spiritual heritage does not guarantee righteousness.
Jesus makes it clear that their actions do not line up with Abraham’s.
They were not consistent with Abraham. They desired to kill Jesus. This
was not an Abraham thing.
But, it was a line of thinking at that time that the eternal kingdom
would be given to those who were the seed of Abraham, even if they were
sinners and unbelievers, even if they were disobedient to God. Whether
these leaders believed that, we don’t know. But we do know that Jesus
points a different direction. He lets them know that religious privilege
does not guarantee a way in. They were not automatically in. They were
not automatically righteous. Their deeds would count for more than their
impressive ancestry.
So their claim to be the heirs of Abraham falls flat. They were
fundamentally hostile to what God was doing, and that was not Abraham.
The second problem is ILLEGITIMACY (41-44).
“You are doing what your father did.” They said to him, “We were not
born of sexual immorality. We have one Father—even God.” Jesus said to
them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God
and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. Why do you
not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my
word. You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your
father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing
to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he
speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of
lies.”
Now, it is plain that Jesus is thinking of some other father than
Abraham. There was a father involved here, but it was not Father
Abraham. Nevertheless, there is a family likeness. Their evil deeds are
a result of paternity.
No doubt, the leaders don’t like the direction of what Jesus is saying
at this point. Therefore, it is time to get personal.
The leaders point to Jesus’ unusual birth to cause doubt.
Apparently, for thirty years that rumors have abounded. The strange
circumstances surrounding the birth of Jesus have been reported over and
over. And no matter what Mary and Joseph may have testified to
throughout the years, most would not believe. Besides, the whispers were
more tantalizing. Either Joseph and Mary had been messing around before
they were supposed to or Mary had a fling with someone else. As far as
the leaders were concerned, either way, Jesus was the product of sexual
immorality.
But, you have to appreciate Jesus’ reaction to this nasty accusation of
illegitimacy. He doesn’t even blink. He knows it is not true. Instead,
He just hammers home the message. He was not on a self-originated
mission. He came from God. And if you love God, you were going to love
Him too. No matter what is said, or what is argued, Jesus just will not
deviate from this message.
It is here that Jesus strips away all the veils. There is an invisible
kingdom under which we all live. There are invisible realities that we
are all subject to. And it is clear that they just don’t get it. Their
spiritual comprehension is quite limited.
They are really caught in their own “parent trap.”
They claimed to belong to God. It was untrue. Their claim was
illegitimate.
But they could make a legitimate claim. They did have a father – the
father of lies. Since they were seeking to murder Jesus, they belonged
to one that was a murderer from the beginning. They belonged to the one
that directed Adam and Eve toward a spiritual death. They belonged to
the one that directed the heart of Cain to physically murder his brother
Abel.
But where does this desire from murder come from? Well, it finds its
origination from deceit. Just like Adam and Eve, the Jewish leaders have
been deceived. And now they are living it out, living in the habitat of
falsehood. They have listened to the lies that have spoken to their
pride and ego, and they have believed. This is why they don’t
understand.
The third problem is INCRIMINATION (45-47).
“But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. Which one of you
convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me?
Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear
them is that you are not of God.”
They were being who they were. They would not respond to the truth,
either that was heard or in the person of Jesus. You see, they were
believing the lie instead.
Jesus asks for a legitimate charge against Him.
He said, “You accuse me of sin…name it!”
“Who have I cheated?”
“Whom have I stolen from?”
“Whom have I lied to?”
“Who have I deceived?”
“Can you demonstrate anytime that I have lived selfishly and not cared
for others?”
The response…utter silence.
Jesus has revealed them. Their inability to point to any sin at all in
Him is their continuing failure.
The issue of truth continues to expose their predicament.
They are not the good and decent men they profess to be. Instead, they
are slaves to sin. For, since Jesus was speaking the truth, they should
have believed. But since they don’t have the right relationship with
heaven, they do not heed the things that God says. And they are guilty.
No matter who we are, we leave evidence about the truth about us. And
what we must especially note today is that…
WE WILL LEAVE EVIDENCE REGARDING WHO WE FOLLOW.
Jesus made it quite clear that the evidence was there. And as a result,
the Jewish leaders were constantly bumbling out more responses.
You see as they show us you have a devil of a problem if you have got
the wrong evidence.
A devil of a problem it is, for we have two clear alternatives: Jesus or
the devil.
There is no middle ground! None of us are standing still. We are either
moving God’s direction or Satan’s.
We have a choice we have a choice to live for the will of God or for the
lusts of men. We can either be led by the Spirit or led by the flesh. We
can either love the Father or love the world.
So are you living the lie of self-will, or the truth of the will of God?
When you live the lie of self-will, you live the life of deception.
You deceive yourself about your own heart.
You deceive yourself about your own life.
You deceive yourself about God.
You deceive yourself about the way of salvation.
Thus, self-will results in darkness of mind and disobedience.
You think that you can beat the system.
You think that your situation is different.
You think that the consequences won’t hurt you in the long run.
You think that you are not vulnerable.
But it is not true.
And yet, it is all so different when we live in obedience to the will of
God.
We understand! The truth sets us free!
So, what kind of evidence are you leaving behind?
Leave the right evidence about your belief…be consistent, live
consistently according to in the words of Jesus, for when you do so, you
give irrefutable indication about who you belong to.
Leave the right evidence about your belief… make sure that there is
“parent trap” for you, leave no doubt that you are an heir of God the
Father.
Leave the right evidence about your belief…give no evidence that one
could use to accuse you, refuse to give in to the lie of self-will and
live the truth of the will of God.
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