John Lesson 24

Introduction

Hey, and welcome to Let the Bible Speak. In the Gospel of John, chapter 8 and verse 12, Jesus made one of those bold assertions that are to be found in the Gospel of John when he said, I am the light of the world. He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. Now that’s a unique claim for Jesus Christ. In fact, it is a false claim if he were nothing more than just a prophet, or if he were simply a good moral man, as as some have said about Jesus. Jesus claimed to be the deity, the divine Son of God. And he can make such a bold claim to be the light of the world. In fact, he is the light of life.

Throughout the scriptures, light represents that which is truth, because truth illuminates, it reveals. And in contrast, darkness represents that which is evil and error and sin. Jesus Christ, by being the light of the world, exposed that which is sin, illuminated that which is truth, and brought unto us the way of the Lord. Indeed, Jesus Christ made seven such bold I am claims that are found in the Gospel of John, and that’s why we sometimes refer to it as the Gospel of Belief. It is the Gospel that declares who Jesus is, that he is the Son of God, and that if we’re going to believe in Him, we must accept Him, more than just being a Jew who lived nearly two thousand years ago and a good moral man.

He was much more than that. He claimed to be the Son of God. In fact, not only in John eight and verse twelve does he claim to be I am the light of the world. But he also in John chapter six and verse verse thirty-five said, I am the bread of life. Those who come to Jesus Christ can uh can eat of him, or that is, partake of him by belief and coming to him and and never hunger, and never thirst. Furthermore, Jesus said in John chapter ten and verse seven, I am the door. That means that through Jesus Christ there is the entrance unto the way of eternal life. And in that same chapter, John chapter ten and verse eleven, he said, I am the good shepherd.

He is the one to be followed. And uh a another I am is found in John chapter eleven and verse twenty five at the resurrection of Lazarus, Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life. And then one of the clearest and most narrow really statements that he ever made was in John chapter 14 and verse 6, where he said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father except by me. And the seventh I am to be found in this gospel is John chapter 15 and verse 1, where Jesus said, I am the true vine. If you want life, that is spiritual and eternal life, it’ll only be found in Jesus Christ. No man can come to that life or come to the Father except through Christ Jesus.

What do you believe about Jesus Christ? I hope that you have a New Testament and that you’ll open to John the eighth chapter and study right along with us. We call the pilgrim let the Bible speak, because our intentions are to simply read verse by verse and to make some comments and thereby come to a proper understanding of the word of the Lord. We’ve been studying through the gospel of John, verse by verse, and we’ve come to this John chapter 8 text, and we’d like for you to study with us. And in fact, if you’d like to have a free Bible correspondence course to study along with us, to have the notes and some questions which will help you to to look further into the scriptures, and we’d be delighted for you to send in and ask for them.

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1. If I Judge, My Judgment Is True

But ye cannot tell whence I come and whither I go. Ye judge after the flesh, I judge no man. And yet if I judge, my judgment is true, for I am not alone, but I am the Father that sent me. Now when Jesus made the claim to be the light of the world, their response was simply, Well, that’s just your word for it. You don’t have another witness. And you see, according to the law of Moses, uh, a testimony, any witness had to have a corroboration. Our testimony needed to be in the mouth of two or three witnesses. So, in effect, that’s about the best answer they can give. Where is your where is your corroboration? Who else claims that you are the light of the world?

And Jesus responded to them, it is so that it is my word. But my word or my record is true. And yet you don’t know it because you don’t know really where I came from and where I am going. You’re only seeing it from a fleshly point of view. You judge from a human perspective. I judge no man. Really, what he means by that is simply I’m not here to condemn man. It’s kind of like the passage in John 3 and verse 17, where Jesus said, I came not to condemn, but to say. And though they’re condemning Jesus, he’s responding, Well, I’m not going to be as you in this matter. Some have misuse that verse. It isn’t meaning that Jesus will not be the final judge, for he did promise to be the judge of all.

In fact, 2 Corinthians chapter 5 and verse 10 says that we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ to receive the things done in the body according to that which hath been done. But Jesus proceeds by simply saying, I don’t judge like you do. In fact, if I judge, my judgment is true, and I’m not alone, but I am the Father that sent me. When I make some judgment or condemnation, as they were doing, it is from a heavenly point of view. In fact, my father gives me that witness. Indeed, there is no more stringent a reproof or condemnation than than that which Jesus placed upon the Jews. You remember Matthew chapter 23. Many times he said, Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites.

What a scathing rebuke when he said, You’re like whited sepulchres. You’re clean on the outside, but you’re full of dead men’s bones inside. Oh, indeed, Jesus did condemn them often. But his point here is simply that I don’t do it like you do, that is, from fleshly motives and and just human opinions. I do it from a heavenly perspective, from the perception even of my Father. Now continuing in John chapter eight, if you’ll read with me, verses seventeen through twenty. It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true. I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me. Then said they unto him, Where is thy father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me nor my father.

2. The Father That Sent Me Beareth Witness

If you had known me, ye should have known my father also. These words spake Jesus in the treasury, as he taught in the temple, and no man laid hands on him, for his hour was not yet come. Now he admits that, as they’ve claimed, where is your other witness? He admits that the law of Moses does indeed teach that there needs to be at least two witnesses to confirm any testimony. That’s in Deuteronomy chapter 17 and in verse six, as well as other places. But he says, Indeed, I bear witness, that’s one witness. Furthermore, my father beareth witness, that makes two. You may recall in this similar discussion that Jesus had a few months earlier, recorded in John chapter 5, but a few months earlier in the same Jerusalem, where there he talked about the witnesses he had.

In John chapter 5, he spoke about John the Baptist as bearing witness to him. And he spoke about the works that the Father had done through him, by the power of the Father, at least the miracles that he performed. They bore witness of him. And then he said, Furthermore, Moses bore witness of him through the scriptures to fulfill prophecy. There were many witnesses who Jesus Christ is. But he gives them a more simpler answer, a simple answer at this point, by just saying, Look, my Father bears witness, and I bear witness, and that’s too, that’s what the law requires. Well, they said, Well, where is your father? Well, perhaps in a ridicule manner. But Jesus said, Well, if you’d really known my Father, you would have known me.

If you’d known me, you would have known my Father. That’s really a slap in the face. If you really knew God like you say you do, you would know his son. That’s what he said. If you really knew the heavenly Father, God Himself, you would believe in the Christ. A man who does not accept Jesus as the Christ does not really believe in God the Father. A man who really believes in God the Father will accept Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God. There are many today who say they believe in God the Father, but they do not accept Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God. The testimony of Jesus is sharp, it’s stinging. It is a rebuke, really. If you know the Father, you will believe in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God.

3. His Hour Was Not Yet Come

You may notice here too that in verse 20, he taught this in the temple. He said these bold words and stinging rebuke really at a place near where the Sanhedrin court met, where at later time they finally did uh arrest Jesus and they did uh place their judgment against him. But Jesus was not fearful of them at this point in time, for as verse 20 says, His hour was not yet come. That’s a statement found often in the Gospel of John. We pointed it out back in John chapter 2 and verse 4, and chapter 7 and verse 6 and verse 8 and verse 30. It’s found many different types. What it means is that Jesus would not be arrested, he would not be taken until he had fulfilled his mission.

4. Ye Shall Die in Your Sins

His hour to come meant the time of his death, burial, and resurrection. But God knew what plan he had in mind for Jesus Christ. And even though he was right in their midst of his enemies, and though they sought his life, they did not take him. It was not yet the time. His hour had not yet come. Now continuing in verses 21 through 24, then said Jesus again unto them, I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins. Whither I go ye cannot come. Then said the Jews, will he kill himself? Because he saith, Whither I go, ye cannot come. And he said unto them, ye are from beneath, and I am from above. Ye are of this world, I am not of this world.

I said therefore unto you that ye shall die in your sins. For if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins. Jesus was going to go away. They’ve been asking, Where is your father? And now when he says, Well, I’ll be going and you won’t be able to come, again they sort of ridicule or mock that. Does he mean he’s going to die? Is he going to go to hell and we’re not able to find him there? Or what’s going to happen with him, you know. In our chapter 7, in our study earlier, we we learned how that he then said he would be going away, and they began to question that he mean he was going into the lands of the of the Gentiles?

Is he going to be among the Jews dispersed in other nations? Who does he think he is that he can go to a place and not be found? Jesus is saying this again to them. And so they are saying, Look, what do you mean by this? You can go someplace and we won’t find you. But Jesus again is replying to them, You’re from beneath, I’m from above. You’re judging it from a human perspective. You do not understand my words. You do not understand because you do not believe in the Father. Really believe in him. You’re very religious. You say you believe. These Jews certainly were men who thought of themselves as in the forefront of God’s service, but by their rejection of Jesus Christ, they proved themselves to not be in God’s service.

They had estranged themselves from the Father by their unbelief and by their hypocrisy. But notice in verse 24, what sharper words could be said by our Lord than ye shall die in your sins. Even if ye believe not that I am He, ye shall die in your sins. Was Jesus too narrow when he made that statement? What about today the good Maul Jew, but who believes in the Father but rejects the Christ? What about the Muslim who preaches a doctrine about Allah but denies Jesus as the Christ, the divine Son of God deity. Or what about the Hindu or other good religious people in the world? People of good morals and good conscience. You know, many modern preachers today would say it doesn’t really matter what you believe, and all these good people, because they’re good religious, sincere people, they’re going to be saved.

There are some modern preachers who would say Jesus is too narrow-minded. For Jesus made it very clear.

It’s not my words. I didn’t like that in the Bible. But Jesus Christ spoke it and has been inspired and revealed for us even to this day. It matters what you believe about Jesus Christ, whether or not you’re going to be saved. That’s why it’s so very important for us to get the Bible open and to read what it says about him, and to accept him as the Christ, the Son of God, to obey him, or else we shall die in our sins. It’s important.

Do you believe in him? Well, to this verse 25, they said unto him, Who art thou? And Jesus saith unto them, even the same that I said unto you from the beginning. I have many things to say and to judge of you, but he that sent me is true, and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him. They understood not that he spake to them of the Father. Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of Man, then shall ye know that I am He, and that I do nothing of myself. But as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things. Who art thou? They asked. As though Jesus had not told them. Many times he has testified who he is.

But these Jews, like many today, had closed minds. They had stopped their ears, and their hearts were dull of hearing. They were not going to accept Jesus. It didn’t matter what he said. But sort of in a polite way, who are you? Jesus simply replied, I’m the same one I’ve told you. From the very beginning, I am he, I am that one through whom there is life. I am the light of the world, I am the bread of life, I am the resurrection. Jesus wanted all men to be saved. If you think verse 24 is too narrow, you remember that Jesus died for all men. First Timothy chapter 2 and verse 4, God would have all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of truth.

First Timothy 2 and verse 6, he died as a ransom for all. He wants these Jews who are listening to him to understand and to believe. But they are the ones who refused him. And it is true that not all will be saved, though he died for all. Not all accept him. Matthew 7, verses 13 and 14, Jesus said, Enter in at the straight gate, for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth unto destruction, and many there be that go in thereat. But straight is the gate and narrow is the way that leadeth unto life, and few there be define death. Not many, at least not the majority, will come to the Christ, believing in him and obeying him. What will you do?

5. When Ye Have Lifted Up the Son of Man

What will you believe about him? These religious people rejected him, even though they heard who he was, they come saying, Who are you? They didn’t understand. And Jesus said, The reason you don’t understand is because you have closed hearts. They understood not that he spoke to them of the Father. But then he said to them in verse 28, When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then shall you know that I am He. The lifting up the Son of Man came about when Jesus was crucified. He was first introduced, or that thought was first introduced to us back in John chapter 3 and in verse 14, where he applied it to the time when Moses lifted up the servant in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.

And that refers to the time back in Numbers chapter 21, when in the wilderness there was a curse put upon the murmuring uh Jews and serpents were set up sin among them, and many died of this plague until Moses uh put a brazen serpent upon a pole. And as they came by and viewed that serpent, then they were spared or given life. And so parallel is made that even as the Son of Man is lifted up, like that serpent was lifted up, those who come to him can have life. But coming to him involved some obedience. The lifting up of Jesus Christ had to do with his crucifixion. And we know that for sure by reading John chapter 12, verses 32 through 34, where Jesus says, I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.

This he said, signifying what death he should die. The people answered him, We have heard out of the law that Christ abide forever, and how says thou, the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man? Now he spoke about it signifying what death he should die. So that clearly tells us what he meant by being lifted up. Well, in this text of John chapter 8, he just simply said that when he is lifted up, some of you will believe. And you know that came to pass. The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ was the greatest testimony that he indeed he is the Son of God. While he was on the earth, the Father worked many miracles through him. And these miracles testified, they were God’s witness.

These signs, wonders, and miracles that God did by him testified that he was God’s Son. But when he was crucified, and that in fulfillment of prophecy, and when he was buried and arose from the grave, it was the highest testimony that indeed he is the Christ, the Son of God. And there were many who did believe on him. On the first Pentecost after the resurrection of Christ in Acts chapter 2, the when Peter and the apostles stood up and preached about the Christ. They preached about his death, his burial, and his resurrection, and they bore witness that indeed we have seen, he has arisen. The audience were pricked in their heart. And they asked men and brethren, what shall we do? That’s Acts 2 and verse 37.

In verse 38 of Acts chapter 2, Peter answered and said unto them, Repent and be baptized, every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins. And ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promises unto you and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. And with many other words, did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this unto war generation. Notice verse 41 of Acts 2. They that gladly received his word were baptized the same day they were added unto them about three thousand souls. You see, there were some who perhaps even heard Jesus on the occasion of our text, who later were convinced and did believe.

When the Son of Man was lifted up, they did turn unto him. In Acts chapter 6 and verse 7, the description of even some of the priests is made in this way. The word of God increased, the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly, and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith. So many, even of the priest among the Jews did later turn to him, believing in him, accepting him when he was lifted up. So the testimony of Jesus is so. And as our text of John chapter 8, when you have lifted up the Son of Man, then shall ye know that I am He. Well, continuing now in John chapter 8, verse 29 and 30. The scripture says, He that sent me is with me.

The Father hath not left me alone. For I do always those things that please him. And he spake this as he spake these words. Many believed in him. Indeed, just as Jesus Christ spake these words, there were those who had some honest hearts. There were men who were quick in their hearts and did believe on him even now. There are those in our audience, perhaps who are listening, who have had closed minds and have not received the testimony of Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God. Would you not be willing to listen and listen with an open heart, with an open Bible to read for yourself and to accept the testimony, that one day you’re going to have to give answer to the Lord for how you’ve received him?

6. I Do Always Those Things That Please Him

What do you believe about Jesus as a Christ? I want you to notice in verse 29, the attitude that we need to have, though. Jesus Christ left us an example of what obedience really is. He said, I do always those things that please him. You see, if we’re going to obey God, it is going to be more than just doing what pleases us. It is not just a matter of I like this and I don’t like that, and so therefore, sure the Lord will like what I like, and if I don’t like it, the Lord will still overlook and let me be saved. That’s the way some want to serve him. But that isn’t the way of faithful service to God. Jesus said, He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.

Do you believe and accept that? The apostles taught, repent and be baptized, every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sin. Acts 238. Would you believe and accept that? There are those who say, Well, now we need to believe in the Christ, but baptism isn’t necessary. Would you take the scissors and cut them out of your Bible? Would you take those passages that talk about baptism? Acts 22, 16, arise and be baptized and wash away thy sins. Would you just cut that out? Or in 1 Peter chapter 3 and verse 21, baptism that also now save us? It’s not the putting away the filth of the flesh for the answer of the good conscience toward God. Would you cut that out of the Bible?

We didn’t write it, and we don’t have any right to cut it out of the Bible. Indeed, we need to do those things that are pleasing to the Father. Just as Jesus came. He said, I didn’t come to do my will. I came to do the will of him that sent me. I do those things that please the Father. And there are many times that this statement is made, and it shows us obedience. That’s really what sincere faith uh involves. In Hebrews chapter 5, verses 8 and 9, the scripture says, Though he were a son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him. Just as Jesus Christ did, in that he pleased the Father, he did only those things that the Father wanted, that’s the attitude we must have.

Lord, show me thy will. As I read it and understand it, I’m willing to obey it. Whatever changes it’ll make in my life, I want to do those things that please the Father. Now that’s obedience. And that’s what’s involved in saving faith. One other point before our time is up, and you may notice that as he said, I do those things that please him. It refutes the doctrine that is popularly held among some today of what we may call Jesus’ owner doctrine. There are those who say that Jesus really was the Father, that He simply embodied himself in the flesh and was known as Jesus on the earth. And they say there is only one in the nature of Godhood, and he is the Father sometimes, or represented as the Son at other times, and simply a characteristic as the Holy Spirit.

That makes nonsense out of the statement of Jesus here. I don’t please myself, he said, I please my Father. There are two wills involved here the Father’s will and the Son’s will. I came to do those things that please him, not myself. Indeed, we need to keep an open Bible and read and make sense out of the Bible that agrees with itself.

Until then, may the Lord be with and bless you.

Stay over.