Speaker 1: 0:00

Let's turn our Bibles to John, chapter 8, and we're going to continue in our series in John John, chapter 8, and we're going to wrap up John 8. This is part of an ongoing discussion that began in John 7. So this is an ongoing conversation that Jesus has been having with the people, with his brothers, with the Jews now primarily, has been having with the people, with his brothers, with the Jews now primarily, and now he's going to wrap it up in a very powerful statement. I've called this particular sermon. I couldn't think of a good name. Royce had a few good names. I had a name that I decided to go with, and that is the I am is back. The I am is back Now.

Speaker 1: 0:45

What I want us to understand is this that the I am never went anywhere. So I wanted to be clear that I'm not saying that he disappeared and was gone, and then, all of a sudden, he decided you know what? I left those people hanging. I'm gonna come back. That's not what I'm getting at, but what I do want us to understand is that when God sent Moses to the Israelites when they were in bondage in Egypt, one of the things that he gave Moses as a sign as to that he was there for them, that he was there to rescue them, was. He gave them his name, and that is the I am. And in this passage, was he gave them his name, and that is the I am.

Speaker 1: 1:24

And in this passage, jesus identifies himself again as the I am. This is significant. This is a powerful moment that we will understand, and this is how Jesus wraps up this conversation with the Jews, and we have it recorded by the Apostle John for us so that we can learn and believe in Jesus. I'm going to read this text for us. It's about 10, 11 verses. I'm going to read this text for us.

Speaker 1: 2:00

And we're starting to get into a place where the Jews are starting to get a little bit annoyed at Jesus. He just got done calling them, telling them that their father is the devil, and they're going to start biting back. But Jesus is not deterred, he is not turned away from this Matter of fact. He doubles down and he goes for the throat on this, and so that's what we're going to read here, and I want us to see this conversation and how it is wrapped up. So John, chapter eight, verse 48, the Jews answered him.

Speaker 1: 2:40

Are we not right in saying that you're a Samaritan and have a demon. Jesus answered I do not have a demon, but I honor my father and you dishonor me. Yet I do not seek my own glory. There is one who seeks it and he is the judge. Truly, truly, I say to you if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death. The Jews said to him now we know that you have a demon. Abraham died and so did the prophets. Yet you say if anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death. Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died and the prophets died? Who do you make yourself out to be? 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, but you have not known him. I know him, and 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. Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad. So the Jews said to him you are not yet 50 years old and you have seen Abraham. Jesus said to them, truly, truly, I say to you before Abraham was, I am. So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid themselves and went out of the temple. This is the word of the Lord.

Speaker 1: 4:36

Things start getting a little bit nippy here. First of all, I want to ask you this question what gives us the reason to believe that Carson and Joni Choi could go into an unreached, unengaged people, a place where people have not heard the gospel, and believe that their work could accomplish anything? What makes us think that we could have a church here in Union City and be surrounded by people from all over the world who've come here to seek the American dream of making money and to establishing wealth? What makes us believe that we can be here and have the presence of the gospel here and that what we are doing is going to accomplish anything? What gives us the reason that we can believe that God is going to use our efforts, our faith, our work to accomplish anything? I mean, after all, there's a lot of good ideas that exist in the world. There's a lot of good ideas that exist in the world. There's a lot of good philosophies. There are religions where people are far more devoted than we are. They have given themselves to do things that even bodily harm that they cause to themselves because they are devoted to their beliefs and to their religion.

Speaker 1: 6:03

So what gives us the reason to believe that we have anything that's credible or anything that's powerful, that can do anything in this world? In some sense, this is where Jesus finds himself, because what has happened is that he is in a conversation with people who have built a foundation and a religion on something that they think is true and real and God and, to give them the benefit of the doubt, it's built on the Old Testament truths that we even ourselves believe. It's built in the faith that was passed down to them from Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, the stories of the power, of the gospel of freedom that was given to them through Moses. And yet somehow, along the way in building on that foundation, they have built a religion that is now in conflict with Jesus, the Son of God. I want us to understand that.

Speaker 1: 7:22

In order for us to understand that what Jesus says is absolutely necessary for us to believe him and believe his truth, we have to understand what, ultimately, the biggest message of this passage is, and that is that, before any ideologies existed, before any philosophies existed, before any people of influence existed. Jesus existed, people of influence existed. Jesus existed Before anything happened, before countries were established, before thrones and kingdoms were established and empires were built. Jesus was already king, god was already ruler over all things. And so all of these things, all these conversations, all these debates, all these ideas exist within the realm of a greater reality, and we have to understand it's not one for one, and that's what we see happens here. So the thing that I want us to start out with today is this here's my main point In a world consumed by power, prestige and influence, jesus calls us back to our true purpose to glorify God and to enjoy him forever. In a world consumed by power, prestige and influence, jesus calls us back to our true purpose to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. That is why we exist. This comes from the first catechism of a historical catechism. What is the chief end of man? To glorify God and enjoy Him forever. This is the purpose of why we exist, and we see Jesus here making a case. I'm not here for my own glory. I'm here because I have been given glory from my Father. And how do we enjoy him? Well, we keep his words, we hear his words and we keep them. That's how we will enjoy him forever is because his words are the words of life. Peter said that to him at the end of chapter 6. Jesus was saying look, all these people are leaving me too. Are you going to leave me? And Peter says no. Where else are we going to go? You have the words of eternal life. There is nowhere else to go. I'm going to make three observations of this text and then we'll wrap it up. So the first observation I want us to see is this is that Jesus establishes a foundational reality, and here it is. There is only one who is to be honored, and he is the ultimate judge. Jesus establishes this foundational reality. There is only one who is to be honored and he is the ultimate judge. Jesus establishes this foundational reality. There is only one who is to be honored and he is the ultimate judge. These Jews resort to name calling. Oh yeah, you're going to say that our father is the devil. Well, you talk like a Samaritan and you're like demon possessed. You're insane. Look at you, the Samaritans. Who were they? They were people who had their own ideas, but, according to the Jews, their ideas and religion have deviated from the true religion that they upheld and the Samaritans? They fought back. They spoke horribly about the Jews. It was a conflict and a fight that went back and forth. And so they're looking at him and saying look, you're coming in here and you're saying things and you sound just like a Samaritan. Now, as a point of example and I'm going to turn it also into an application this is like us, in the political climate that we're in, yes, I'm going to go there, us looking at someone, and say you sound like a Trumper, a MAGA person, or you sound like a Democrat, a Kamala follower, and it's just like throwing these names out there to kind of elicit some sort of anger or some sort of like fierce name that's going to cut them. They're trying to find somebody who Jesus sounds like, to completely undermine his words and his credibility, and so they go with the Samaritans. They also say you know who influences you where you have no control? Well, a demon, a demon comes inside of people and they influences you where you have no control. Well, a demon, a demon comes inside of people and they act insane. They have no control over themselves, and so whatever you're saying is just out of your mind. This is like you're just a madman, and this is what they resort to Now. The truth is is, in our world as we know it, there are powers and influences that exist. There are powers and influences that exist, but they come and go. The reality is, I was just in Italy visiting my sister, who's a missionary there. She's part of a church plant in Italy and we went and we saw a church building that was built a thousand years ago and there were places that you could go to that were built far further back. I tell people that this chapel was built 140 years ago and people are like, whoa, that's old. And I'm like, yeah, you haven't traveled the world much, have you? This is like a brand new building compared to places that you go right around the world. But the reality is that powers and influences come and go. The United States next year what is it? We're going to celebrate 250 years of existence. We're a little young country in the scope of the span of the world, the scope of the world. Influences, powers they come and go. Samaritans were a society that criticized the Jews harshly and they seemed to be in constant source of contention for the Jews over religious influence. The Jews were trying to establish themselves as a presence and, by God's grace, because they were part of His people, he was allowing them to have significant influence. But they had been taken over and over and over into exile and now they were under the thumb of the Romans and there's just a fight and a grasp for power and influence, right and now even there's little skirmishes between the Jews and the Samaritans, and then there's the skirmishes and the powers between spiritual darkness of the world, the demons that are there. The demons influence and power and they control, rendering the people practically insane. But Jesus makes this unshakable statement insane. But Jesus makes this unshakable statement. He speaks with unshakable clarity. I should say he speaks with clarity that is undeterred by their criticisms and by their name calling. He says that there's only one who determines honor and glory in life, and that one who determines honor and glory in life and that one who determines honor and glory is the judge. He's the one who will judge. Jesus is speaking of a reality that is unchangeable. Now I want to take just a moment here and I want us to think about this. Jesus is entering into our world as a human. He is fully God and fully man. He is entering into our world so that we might have life, but before that, jesus came from a reality that was eternal, never had a beginning, never had an end, and so anything that exists within the world that we know here, before the creation of the world and before the creation of time, anything that exists, is bound to the truth and the laws of eternity. You understand that Jesus is coming in and trying to speak of eternal things and these people are tied up with temporal ideas. It doesn't mean that they don't have a taste of truth. It doesn't mean that they don't have a little bit of truth in them or the truth that God has revealed to them and that they have submitted themselves to. But the reality is that anything that is true within this temporal world, it is only true because it is attached to that which is eternal. Anything that is true and significant in our lives must be attached to that which is eternal. It cannot be tied to something that can come and go. Our political system will come and go, presidents and kings will come and go, ideologies will come and go. Jesus remains forever and we must be anchored in him. So these people are looking at him as though they have some sort of a superior position over him, over Jesus. They're looking at him and they're judging his words and his actions as though they have the upper hand on him. And yet Jesus is very, very clear there is only one. He is to be honored and he is the judge. You guys don't have any say in any of this. The second observation that I want us to see here is this is that one thing that humans fear and have no control over cannot stop Jesus. The one thing that humans fear and have no control over cannot stop Jesus. What is that? Death right? What does he say there? Verse 53, are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died? Who do you make yourself out to be? We have great reverence for Abraham. We have great reverence for Abraham. We have great reverence for the prophets, but they did die, and so we're holding on to their memories, we're holding on to their influence as long as we can, but who do you think you are If you think that you have the power that overtook Abraham and overtook the prophets? They died. There are no words of influence or mechanisms of power that exist in our present reality that will prevent us from death. There is nothing that can be said or done that man that finds its origin in humanity and human ideas that will prevent us from death? There is no mechanism that we can create as human beings, that will prevent us from death. And I don't just mean physical death, yes, physical death, but even more than that, let's talk about the death of a personal influence. Abraham influenced people, aristotle influenced people, socrates influenced people, hitler influenced people, george Washington influenced people, but when they died, the only thing that we have to hold on to is the memory of their life, and we really don't know truly much about who they are and what they left. All we have to hold on to is the memory of their life, and we really don't know truly much about who they are and what they left. All we have is the memories. What about the death of personal ideas, personal ideals? We have philosophies that have been given to us, they've been written down, and those philosophies have been changed. I want you to think about this. In the current political discussions that we have, we talk about how it relates to the founding fathers or the constitution. Is this person upholding the constitution? Is this the way the founding fathers wanted it to be? Well, the reality is is that we can go back to that, but we can't really know exactly what the founding fathers had in mind when they wrote certain things or when they did certain things. We weren't there. We have only what was written, and most often we interpret those sorts of things through the lens of the way we understand life today, so we really don't have a good grasp on that. Or the death of personal gain. This is something that I find interesting. Do you remember Solomon? He's known as the wisest man that ever lived. Solomon. He used his wisdom to create a great life for himself, right? If you read the book of Ecclesiastes, he taught I have more wealth, so I'm going to buy houses and lands and I'm going to plant vineyards and I'm going to plant orchards and I'm going to create everything. I'm going to use everything within my power to achieve the greatest estate that has ever been built. And he did. And when it was all said and done, how did he feel? Sad, empty. It was vain, right? So then he's like well, I'm going to give myself to knowing knowledge, as I have all the access and all the power, and he was already given the gift of wisdom, I'm going to try to learn everything that there is to know. So what does he do? He learns everything that he possibly can. And how does he feel? Sad, empty, it's vain, it's vanity. So then he's like, well, maybe it's not in wisdom, maybe it's in partying. I'm going to give myself over to partying and I'm going to just live it up and just do everything I can. I'm going to do everything I can to enjoy my life. And so he gives himself to partying, and how does he feel? He feels empty and dead. So what does he say? Listen to this. So I became great and surpassed all who were before me, in Jerusalem Also, my wisdom remained with me and whatever my eyes desired, I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was the reward for my toil. Then I considered all that my hands had done, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was the reward for my toil. Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil that I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and striving after the wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun. So I turned to consider wisdom and madness and folly. For what can a man do that comes after a king? Only what has already been done. So if a king as great as Solomon comes after him, what's he going to accomplish that has not already been accomplished by Solomon? Then I said that there is more to gain in wisdom than in folly, and there is more to gain in light than in darkness. And then he says this a wise person has his eyes on his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And yet I perceive that the same event happens to all of them, whether you're wise or you're foolish, the same event happens to everybody. And then I said in my heart what happens to the fool will happen to me also. Why, then, have I been so very wise? And he said in his heart this is also vanity, for of the wise as of the fool, there is no endurance. Remembered seeing that in the days to come, all will have been forgotten how the wise dies like the fool. So I hated life, because that which is done under the sun was grievous to me, for all is vanity and striving. What is he saying? Everything that I've lived for, everything that I've accomplished, everything that I've lived for. I don't know what's going to happen to it when I die and I don't know who's going to inherit it from me. But what are they going to do? I mean, if they're not as wise as I am, they're probably just going to blow it all. I understand that this is not exactly what Jesus is talking about here, but what he is bringing to light here is that death does away with things that are temporary. Death erases what has been accomplished in a temporary life, and all of our lives are temporary. Their ideas are temporary. These Jews and these Pharisees were gonna be temporary. So how is it that Jesus can say if you do my words, you will not see death? There has to be something tied to his words that are not affected by the temporary, but that are anchored in the eternal. This is how he can say this Jesus' words are anchored in eternity. And so, as we come here today and I ask the question to you again how is it that Carson and Joni can make a difference in India? How is it that Jonathan's house and the people that serve there in Africa, how is it that they can make a difference for eternity in Africa? How is it that we can do something that will make a difference in eternity. I will tell you this it's simple, it's hard, but it's simple. Do the words of Christ, do the words of Christ, believe the words of Christ, walk in the words of Christ. Why? Because Christ's words, unlike anybody else who has developed philosophies and ideas throughout all of time, christ's words are anchored in eternity. We can go back to our founding fathers and say they wrote that we ought to have the right to pursue life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I'll tell you what. The idea of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness didn't begin with them. The freedoms and the joys that we desire for a country like ours, it was so much greater in the beginning, in the garden, the way that God created it to be. It didn't just begin with them. America is not the promised land. America is not the place where we can receive everything that we could ever dream of. Eternity is where we find life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Jesus, it is through his words that we find these things. Lastly, the temporary will always give way to that which is eternal. The temporary will always give way to that which is eternal. The temporary will always give way to that which is eternal, the only power that can be acquired to avoid the destruction of death is a power that predates death. Let me say that again, the only power that can be acquired to avoid the destruction of death is a power that predates death. When God preexisted, there was no death. It was sin that entered into this world that brought about death. Jesus comes from a world where death didn't exist, and when it came into existence, he predated it. His reality, the reality of his being, came from before death existed, and so the temporary will always give way to that which is eternal. Look at verse 54. Jesus answered if I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is a father who glorifies me, of whom you say he is our god. Glory obtained in this life means nothing, but glory found in god is everything. Glory obtained in this life means nothing, but glory found in God is everything. He says I don't live to bring glory to myself. If Jesus leveraged his presence and his power to build an earthly influence, that glory would mean nothing, and so Jesus was dedicated to living a life that he was called to and sent to live so that it would bring glory to God. In verse 55, we see claiming God and knowing God are two very different things. Look at verse 55, but you say you, but you have not known him. I know him talking about God and 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. Jesus himself is basically saying there is a difference between knowing God because you say he's your God, you claim that he's your God, but you don't know him. It reminds me of Romans 1, where it says, where Paul is writing and he says although they claimed him to be God, they did not worship him as God, nor did they give thanks. So what did God do? He gave them over to a debased mind. He gave them over to their sinful desires. It is true that we can live lives where we claim to know God, but we don't worship him as God, we do not glorify him as God, we do not honor him as God. We can live lives where we come to church each Sunday, where we do the things that we know that we're supposed to do according to tradition and according to even the Scriptures. We can do all these things. We can know the Scriptures. We can have knowledge of theology and knowledge of the Bible. We can do all these things, but if we do not honor God and glorify God as God and we give him thanks, then we will be given over to the debased mind that that is. And what Jesus is doing is. He is calling these people out. You say that he's your God, but you do not glorify him as God. You don't even know him for who he really is. Because if you knew him for who he really is, you would have no problem with what I'm saying to you. That's what he's saying here. So claiming God and knowing God are two different things. It is a difference between life and death. We can say we know God. We can say that he is our God. We can say we have a relationship with Him, but if we are not glorifying Him and honoring Him, it doesn't mean anything for us. When the temporary accesses the eternal, it too becomes eternal. What do I mean by that? Look at verse 56. Your father, abraham, rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad. What does he mean? Well, abraham was temporary. He was born and he did die. Right? It's already been said twice here. Abraham died, but Abraham accessed eternity. How? By faith. Abraham accessed eternity by faith. We're told this in the New Testament. Abraham had faith and it was counted to him for righteousness, right. So I don't know exactly which part of Abraham's life that Jesus is referring to here, but just think about this Abraham had an eternal experience when his almost 100-year-old wife gave birth to the promised son, jesus. I mean, abraham was told that he was going to have a child and that his family would outnumber the stars of the heavens and the sands of the seashore, and a wife who should never be giving birth to a child gave birth. Was that what he saw and was glad? Or was it when that child that was promised to him was on the altar and was to be sacrificed, and he even had the knife in the air to obey what he was told that he had to do, and then he was stopped and was provided an alternative sacrifice in that moment? Was it when he looked forward to that and say I don't know entirely how this is all going to play out, but that ram provided a substitute that I needed so that my, the promise of God, would be fulfilled? Or was it that the, like the writer of Hebrews talks about and says that Abraham believed God and and he and he found joy because he saw a city whose builder and maker was God. Was it the faith that looked forward to something that was coming? I don't know which it was, but somehow Jesus looks at Abraham and says, even though Abraham died, his hope, his faith was anchored in eternity and he was glad. If you say that Abraham is your father, you don't understand what he actually believed and what he actually was leaving behind. It was a faith that was anchored in eternity. You know one of the things that I love at Christmas time, when we listen to Handel's Messiah. I know it's written from Isaiah, but Isaiah 9, for unto you a child is born, unto you a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulders and his name shall be called what? Mighty God or Wonderful Counselor? Mighty God or wonderful counselor? Mighty God what is the next one? Everlasting father, prince of peace. You know these fathers and there's been a lot thrown out in this conversation about fathers Our father's Abraham, our father's this, your father's the devil. You know the reality is when Jesus comes. When Jesus came, he was claiming a fatherhood that was everlasting. Abraham's fatherhood was not everlasting. Isaac's fatherhood was not everlasting. Israel's fatherhood was not everlasting, all these forefathers were not everlasting. But you know who is the everlasting father, jesus Christ. His influence, his power, his words are anchored in eternity and he has come to give them to us so that we can have life and we can have hope. Jesus has entered in our world not as one who seeks power and glory for himself, not as one who intends to leverage influence over present influences. Jesus enters our world to bring us back to the purpose of our existence. And what is that? To glorify God and enjoy him forever. So my challenge to us is this is that when Jesus looks them square in the eye and says you know what Before Abraham was, I am. He is drawing a line that is a line between life and death. And they chose what To pick up stones and to call what he was doing blasphemy. And we have the same choice here today. We have the same choice here today. We have the same choice here today that when Jesus says to you, from eternity past into eternity future, all that God is, all that God has ever done, all that God has ever says is found in me, I am. We have a choice to make Will we follow him, will we anchor our hopes and our faith and our trust in eternity through Jesus Christ, or will we be distracted and influenced by worldly influences? I want to encourage us here today, as people of God we are coming here before God to anchor ourselves in Jesus Christ, because he comes to us from eternity and he wants to give us the promise of hope that will allow us to join Him for eternity. So do this. Acknowledge and pursue the purpose of your existence. What is that? Glorify God. Don't seek glory for yourself. Don't seek glory for what you're fans of outside of God, in this temporary world, in this temporary nation, in these temporary lives that we live. Don't seek for glory here, but seek to glorify God. And whose words are we to follow and walk in? We are to walk in Jesus' words because if we keep his words we'll never die. This is where our hope lies. God, we thank you and we praise you that you have given us Jesus, that you have sent him to us to understand and know how it is that we might have eternal life. We praise you and we thank you that Jesus is the great I Am, that he is the ever-existing One, that he is the great I am, that he is the ever-existing One, that he is the eternal Father, that His fatherhood does not die and pass away and simply become a memory, but that he is alive and he is even present here with us today. God, help us to anchor our hopes and our trust and our confidence in you alone, that you alone would be glorified In Christ's name. Amen.