Amen and good morning. Please take your copy of God's Word and join me in John chapter 8.
! We're back in John. It's been a minute. Our text for today is verses 48 through 59. I'm very grateful this morning to be back in our study of John's Gospel.
In fact, I'm so happy to be back in this book that I'm going to skip introductory comments and just get right to the text.
So let's read it beginning in verse 48, ending at the end of the chapter, and then I'll remind us a little bit where we are and set us up for our study.
But first, let's pray for God's favor on our time in His Word.
Father, as we take up Your Word together this morning, we do so humbly.
We want to rightly understand it. We want it to have its proper effect on our hearts.
And we recognize that we cannot do this apart from the help of Your Spirit.
We recognize that Your Word was written for Your glory and for our good.
And so we ask that You would help us to believe its promises and obey its commands and have affection for You, its author.
And we pray that You'll help us to this end. Amen.
John chapter 8, beginning in verse 48 and following.
The Jews answered Him,
Are we not right in saying that you are 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, as 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.
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 fifty years old, and have you 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 Himself and went out of the temple.
There are passages in Scripture where the temperature rises.
You can feel it even across the centuries.
I try to read text well for you.
Of course, I wasn't there.
I don't know the tone in the voice.
But you could read this so flatly and miss that there's a tension growing here.
John chapter 8, the whole chapter,
it's a chapter where it's just the tension is building and building and building.
The conversation between Jesus and the religious leaders,
that's who this term, the Jews, is referring to,
has been building layer upon layer,
until what we see here is not a polite disagreement,
but it's open hostility.
The tension is white hot at this point.
And if you have any doubt of that,
the last verse affirms what I just said, right?
Murderous intent comes to play at the very end of the chapter.
But our text begins,
The Jews answered him.
Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?
Don't let your familiarity with the text
dull the shock of this moment.
These are not fringe skeptics.
These are the religious leaders.
They're significant men.
These are men who know the scriptures,
who claim to represent God.
And yet, when the Son of God stands before them,
they do not recognize him.
And even worse, they slander him.
They don't just disagree with Jesus.
They despise Jesus.
They call him a Samaritan,
questioning his ethnic purity,
his orthodoxy,
his place among God's people.
They don't know this at all.
Jesus is not a Samaritan.
And they have no clue,
but they are using it pejoratively.
And if that isn't enough,
they go further.
They say that he has a demon,
that he is possessed.
They attribute the works and words
of the Son of God
to the powers of darkness.
To me, all of this
just seems to be taking stabs at him.
It's ad hominem attacks at this point.
Not considering his arguments any longer.
They're listening,
but it seems like they're half listening
to what he has to say.
And then just going after the man.
You're a Samaritan.
You're demon-possessed.
And what we see here
is not just a historical moment,
although it is that.
It's a record of what happened.
But it's also a mirror
held up to the human heart.
Because, apart from grace,
this is how we all respond to Christ.
And yet,
in the face of this hostility,
Jesus responds with clarity,
with dignity,
and with truth.
And in just a few words,
he reveals two realities
that every one of us
must reckon with this morning.
Those two are,
to be our outline for today.
Number one,
that Jesus is the eternal God.
And that number two,
Jesus offers eternal life in himself.
So if you like even simpler outlines,
eternal God,
eternal life.
Jesus is clearly presented in this text
as the eternal God.
And I don't want to rush into it
without at least taking a little moment
to define the word eternal.
It's an adjective that describes time.
To say that something is eternal
is to say that time
has no bearing on it.
It will go on forever.
Jesus is eternal.
He has existed in eternity past
and will exist in eternity future.
No beginning and no end.
And this is true
because Jesus is the eternal God.
God is not merely a God,
but the eternal God.
God has been presenting us
with a dilemma
all throughout his writing.
I've lamented a couple of times
this morning with a few of you
about how the way we preach,
which I commend,
otherwise I would just stop doing it,
taking bits of text at a time,
often leads us to forget
the total narrative,
what's going on in the totality of the text.
The sermon would be way too long
if I preached the entire book of John
on a Sunday morning.
We need to break it down
and consider things bit by bit
and piece by piece,
but let's not lose sight
of the larger themes being developed.
John's been doing this work
of presenting this dilemma.
What will you do with Jesus?
We see receiving him
and we see rejecting him.
We find ourselves in a chapter
that is all about rejection.
Jesus is too audacious
to just be a good teacher.
You must think him a liar,
just inventing falsehood,
or a lunatic.
Perhaps he actually believed
what he said about himself
and was absolutely crazy.
Or, and what I posit to you,
that what he said is true
and therefore you must worship him
as Lord.
Maybe you've heard that trilemma structure
before, liar, lunatic, or Lord.
In verses 39 through 47,
just preceding our text,
Jesus has exposed false devotion to God.
That's what they're responding to here
in verse 48.
He says in verse 46,
Which one of you convicts me of sin?
If I tell the truth,
why do you not believe me?
Whoever is of God,
verse 47,
hears the words of God.
The reason why you do not hear them
is that you are not of God.
And it's in response to that
that our text begins,
The Jews answered him.
I mentioned it really briefly earlier,
but this little phrase,
the Jews,
most regularly in the book of John
is referring to these religious leaders.
And there's some contextual evidence
that that is the case.
That's who he's speaking to right now
in the temple.
Are we not right in saying
that you are Samaritan
and have a demon?
Notice their confidence.
They're not really asking questions.
This is rhetorical to be sure.
Our punctuation puts it as a question.
They're not really asking Jesus
to bring clarity to their thoughts about him.
They're convinced that they are correct.
And yet,
they're completely wrong.
This is one of the sobering realities
that the Bible presents to us.
Sincerity does not equal belief.
These men are confident
and they are deaf
to the words of Christ.
Verse 47,
whoever is of God
hears the words of God.
The reason why you do not hear them
is that you are not of God.
Jesus has just said this to them.
And instead of humbling themselves,
hearing this difficult thing,
asking for clarifying questions,
what you've said is hard to hear.
Help us understand what you mean.
Instead,
they harden themselves against him.
This is exactly what Scripture
tells us to expect
apart from the work of the Spirit
in our lives.
It comes in
and softens our hearts.
1 Corinthians 2,
in verse 14,
Paul says,
The natural person does not accept
the things of the Spirit of God,
for they are folly to him.
Left to ourselves,
we do not drift toward Christ.
We drift away.
We resist him.
We do not naturally submit.
We naturally push back.
We sang a song just a moment ago.
First line,
My Lord, I did not choose you,
for that could never be.
My heart would still refuse you
had you not chosen me.
If you felt any objection
to that song,
it's derived directly from Scripture,
from John chapter 15,
in verse 16,
where Jesus says,
You did not choose me,
but I chose you
and appointed you
that you should go
and bear fruit.
And the emphasis of that song
is that we would be humble
and recognize
that it's the loving kindness
of God to us in Christ
that has saved our souls.
The doctrine of divine election
in no way mitigates
human responsibility.
The Bible teaches both.
And you can say,
Nathan, that is not logical,
and I will just go,
Well, then, okay.
The Bible says both things,
and we want to hold both honestly.
The sovereignty of God's salvation,
divine election,
and human responsibility.
We see this laced
all throughout John's gospel.
The doctrine of divine election
is not meant to make us
proud and condemning.
What it's meant to do
is rightly humble us
and work gratitude
in our hearts.
Jesus isn't pulling punches
in chapter 8.
Young people,
I don't know if you know
what pulling a punch is.
You pull a punch when you swing
and you don't quite deliver the punch.
It's like you resist
the full impact.
Maybe you've pretend
hit somebody before
and you don't quite make contact.
That's what that phrase means.
Jesus isn't doing that.
He is fully indicting
these men
for their rejection
of the truth.
While I hold
the divine election,
I hold it firmly
in my closed fist.
We cannot miss this.
These men
are responsible
for the rejection
of the Lord Jesus
as the Christ.
Notice Jesus' response.
He answers them.
Verse 49,
I do not have a demon,
but I honor my father
and you dishonor me.
He doesn't say,
well, of course you don't believe me.
Their actions are held culpable
for their actions.
He deals with the demonic accusation plainly.
I do not have a demon.
And the Samaritan accusation
by restating
that God is his father.
They're trying to diminish his purity
and he is raising the bar
on who he is.
The inciting incident
between Jesus
and these men
was recorded in chapter 5
where Jesus heals a man
on the Sabbath
and then states
in John 5, 17,
my father is working
until now
and I am working.
So again,
big picture contextually.
Go back to the beginning
of 5, 17.
And we know
when he says this,
my father is working
until now
and I am working,
exactly what he meant
because John records
their response
with an explanation.
Verse 18 of chapter 5,
John says,
this was why the Jews
were seeking
all the more
to kill him
because not only
was he breaking the Sabbath,
but he was even calling God
his own father,
making himself
equal with
God.
He was claiming
to be God
in doing this.
He will continue
to make these claims
right up to today's text
and beyond it.
Now,
if you are not God,
then it is a grave evil
to call yourself
God.
No one in this room
can make this claim.
No one should claim
that we are
little g gods.
This is a great heresy,
a grave,
grave evil.
If Jesus was a liar
or a lunatic,
they had every right
to be angry at him.
It would have been proper
for them to think him
blasphemous,
evil,
punishment should come,
stoning was the punishment
for blasphemy.
We should be angered.
It would be righteous
to be angered
by a person
claiming to be
God.
However,
Jesus is God.
It is good and proper
for God
to call himself
God.
And John is laboring
to make this
point.
He begins
this great work
with these words,
John chapter 1,
beginning in verse 1
and following.
In the beginning
was the Word,
and the Word
was with God,
and the Word
was God.
He was in the beginning
with God.
All things
were made
through him,
and without him
was not anything
made that was made.
Now bring the next
verses into our context.
In him
was life,
and the life
was the light
of men.
The light
shines in the darkness,
and the darkness
has not
overcome it.
The introductory
words to this
gospel account
are presenting
Jesus
as the Christ,
as God
himself.
self.
Like,
come into the world
as light
to conquer
darkness.
Then we can jump
down just a bit
after a bit of
language about
John the Baptist
to verse 9
of chapter 1.
There John writes,
the true light,
which gives light
to everyone,
was coming
into the world.
He was in the world,
and the world
was made through him,
yet the world
did not know him.
He came to his own.
And his own people
did not
receive him.
This is what we're
looking at right now.
It's playing out.
But to all who did
receive him,
who believed in his name,
he gave the right
to become
children
of God,
who were born
not of blood,
not because they
are ethnically Jewish,
nor of the will
of the flesh,
not because they
just hoped enough,
did enough,
nor of the will
of man,
but of God.
These men,
his own people,
did not receive him.
Rather,
they call him
demon-possessed.
Isaiah chapter 5,
verse 20,
says,
woe to those
who call evil good
and good evil.
I think it's important
at this point
to note
that sometimes
resistance to the
words of God
looks religious.
Now,
notice what Jesus
says next
in verse 50.
He says,
yet I do not
seek my own
glory.
There is one
who seeks it
and he
is
the judge.
Jesus has
no real
need
to defend
himself.
His father
seeks
his glory
and will
be
the judge.
So he's
communicating here.
This is where
the indictment
language
really
hits.
I think
our minds
might just
bounce right
past this
declaration
that God
is
the judge.
This rejection
of Jesus
as the Christ,
this malicious
name-calling
will be
judged.
And this
audience would
have had a
clear picture
of what Jesus
meant
by this
language.
Perhaps
a text
like Isaiah
66,
verse 15
and 16
would have
come into
their minds.
These men
knew
their Old
Testament
Bible.
Perhaps
this is
what jumped
in their
mind.
He says,
my father
is the
judge.
Listen to
it.
For behold,
the Lord
will come
in fire
and his
chariots
like the
whirlwind
to render
his anger
in fury
and his
rebuke
with flames
of fire.
For by
fire
will the
Lord
enter into
judgment
and by
his sword
with all
flesh
and those
slain by
the Lord
shall be
many.
Jesus
calls
his
father
the
judge.
These
men
are
getting
whipped
into
a
fervor.
This is
indicting
language.
They're
opposing
Jesus
and Jesus
is stating
that they
will be
judged
for their
opposition.
Now,
this
warning is
not just
for them.
Heed
this
warning.
Do not
reject the
claims
of Jesus
Christ.
A warning
like this
isn't
pleasant.
It's not
fun to
talk about
the wrath
of God.
Proper,
just,
but it's
not fun
to talk
about.
But a
warning for
your good
is a
warning that
should be
embraced.
If a
child is
about to
grab the
handle of
a pot of
boiling water
and pull
it down
onto
themselves,
picture that
reaching up,
the handle
got left
sticking out
on the
stove,
and they're
about to
dump boiling
water all
over
themselves,
a loud
or exasperated
warning is
absolutely
appropriate.
Isn't that
what we
would all
do?
It
wouldn't
be calm.
It
wouldn't,
frankly,
be kind
in its
tone.
We would
yell out,
stop,
no,
don't touch
that,
it's not
good for
you.
A harsh
warning when
there is
grave danger
is warranted.
It's
loving.
So listen
to me.
If you
reject Jesus
as the
Christ,
if you do
not flee to
him for the
salvation of
your soul,
you will
stand in the
judgment of
God and
be justly
condemned
for your
sin.
You know
you are
guilty,
and God
certainly
will not
be deceived.
He is
infinitely
offended,
and he
will judge
justly.
We want
God to
be just.
He will
judge
justly.
So embrace
the warning.
understand the
reality of
the state of
your soul
if you're
not in
Christ.
But don't
stop there.
We want to
believe the
promise that
also comes
with this
text.
And so let's
work through
verse 51,
and we're
actually going
to go down
through 58,
and I'm
going to
get into
the eternal
life part
of the
text,
because it's
here in
verse 51
that the
offer is
made.
He says,
truly,
really,
this is a
true thing
you should
listen to.
I say to
you,
if anyone
keeps my
word,
he will
never see
death.
Right?
This is on
the heels
of this
God as
judge
language.
But look
at their
response.
The Jews
said to
him,
now we
know that
you have
a demon.
Abraham
died,
as did
the
prophets,
if anyone's
not going
to die,
it'd be
them,
but they
died,
yet you
say,
if anyone
keeps my
word,
he will
never
taste
death.
I spent
too much
time this
week trying
to figure
out why
Jesus says
never see
death,
and they
say never
taste
death,
thinking
there'd
be
something
amazing
there.
Nope.
These
are both
common
phrases used
all throughout
the scripture
to speak
about
experiencing
death.
Why
different
phrases?
I don't
know.
I don't
know.
Maybe they
weren't
listening as
well as
they should
have.
Maybe this
is to the
half-listening
point.
They couldn't
even repeat
what he
said properly.
Perhaps.
That's my
imagination.
Verse 53,
are you
greater than
our father
Abraham who
died and
the prophets
died?
Who do
you make
yourself out
to be?
You hear
that dripping
condemnation in
that question.
Who do you
think you
are?
Jesus
answers them,
if I glorify
myself, my
glory is
nothing.
You hear
what he's
saying.
He's responding
humbly.
God.
He is
God.
He in this
moment can
call down
heaven,
condemn them
immediately in
the moment.
He says,
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.
But you
have not
known him.
These men's
lives were
devoted to
the worship
of Yahweh.
And Jesus
says, he is
not your
God.
You say
he is, but
he is
not.
And he
says, I
know him.
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.
Now, once
again, here's
a verse to
think about.
what does
this mean?
And really, I
don't know that
we can derive
exactly what
is meant
here.
What does
it mean that
Abraham saw
Jesus' might
be meant
by this?
But clearly,
what Jesus is
expressing is
that Abraham
understands
Jesus is
the Christ.
He gets
this.
perhaps in
some glorified
state.
Perhaps he
has some
theophany that
we're not
aware of.
Perhaps we
got to be
better at our
biblical theology
and understand
how he beheld
Christ and
the promises.
I'm not
sure.
But nonetheless,
Abraham
rejoiced
to see the
day of
Christ.
We read
previously from
Hebrews chapter
11,
expressed that
Abraham was
looking forward
to a city
with foundations.
He saw it
and he was
glad.
And once again,
this just feels
like such a
moment where
they ought to
go, what do
you mean?
What are you
talking about?
Abraham, our
father, rejoiced
to see your day?
He saw it?
Like, tell us
more.
And that we
would get this
beautiful explanation
of how it was
that Abraham
saw the day
of Christ,
but they
respond instead,
you are not
yet 50 years
old.
And have you
seen Abraham?
You're not
old enough
to have seen
Abraham or
him to
see you.
And Jesus
says to them,
truly, truly,
I say to you
again, really,
really true,
before Abraham
was,
I
am.
This is a
significant
statement.
He could
have said,
grammatically he
could have
said,
before Abraham
was, I
was.
I predate
Abraham.
Isn't that
kind of a
question?
You're not
that old.
How is it
possible?
Jesus flips
the question
on its head
to say
something much
more significant
about himself.
Now, in the
book of John,
there are seven
metaphorical I
am's.
I am the
bread of
life, as
an example
from a
previous
chapter.
This one
is not a
metaphorical I
am.
This is
Jesus accessing
the language
of Exodus
chapter 3
and verse 14.
When Moses
meets with
God on the
mountain,
he's commissioned
to go lead
God's people
out of
captivity,
and he
asks,
who should
I tell
them sent
me?
God
says,
tell them
I am
has sent
you.
Right?
This is the
Hebrew word
Yahweh.
The self-existent
one.
Jesus'
listeners
would have
entirely
understood
what he
was communicating
to them
when he
says,
before Abraham
was,
I'm going
to say
something
grammatically
clunky,
before Abraham
was,
I am.
And we
know this
is true
because they
picked up
stones.
this was
the ultimate
blasphemy
in their
eyes.
And it
would be
if Jesus
is not
in fact
the eternal
God.
So that's
point one.
Point two.
Jesus offers
eternal life
in himself.
In himself.
Verse 51.
Truly,
truly,
I say to
you,
if anyone
keeps my
word,
he will
never see
death.
Now,
if Jesus
is not
God,
these words
are absurd.
This is
crazy talk.
If he
is God,
and he
is,
then they're
everything.
John Piper
brought to my
attention a
book written
in the early
70s.
I've not
read it.
By a man
named
Ernest
Becker.
It won
the Pulitzer
Prize in
1974.
The book
was entitled
The Denial
of Death.
in which
he argues,
this is the
thesis statement,
the idea
of death,
the fear
of it,
haunts the
human animal
like nothing
else.
It is a
mainspring
of human
activity.
Activity
designed largely
to avoid
the fatality
of death,
to overcome
it by denying
in some way
that it is
the final
destiny
for man.
His argument
is that all
human activity
is fueled
by,
it's the
mainspring
of a fear
of death.
Interesting
thing to
think about.
We see this
reality expressed
whether consciously
or unconsciously
in all kinds
of forms.
Some good
things,
some that
aren't so
good.
We do lots
of life
preserving
things,
don't we?
I will
certainly
put my
seatbelt
on and
drive
carefully
when I
go home
at the
end of
today.
I hope
that's not
feared by
fear of
death,
but perhaps
it is
somewhere
down
inside.
Our
culture
has an
obsession
with youth.
It suggests
that we
worship
youth,
all kinds
of health
crazes,
diet fads,
cosmetic
surgery,
idolatry
of
celebrities.
Think about
the kinds
of celebrities
that are
worshipped.
They're so
young.
Even the
young people
in our
church are
becoming
older than
the people
who are
worshipped
these days.
The drowning
and medicating
of sorrow,
the seize
the day
mantra
that's so
prevalent,
the way we
spend our
leisure
activity,
the numbing
of entertainment,
the gathering
up of
toys.
Most of
you know
right now
my family
is living
in Buford
on Linear
Islands Parkway
and I
just watch
men
pushing
back
age
go up
and down
the road
in big
dumb
lifted
trucks
and boats.
It is
just
sad.
Sad
the way
time and
energy is
being spent
and I
think there's
something to
this
underneath
that.
We want
to feel
young.
We want
to feel
like death
is not
impending.
But despite
all the
efforts to
extend our
life or
ignore
death
coming,
you and
I will
die bodily
deaths.
It's inevitable
and unavoidable.
It's going
to happen.
One of the
great benefits
of old church
properties was
that when you
pulled on the
property,
you had to
think about
eternity
because there
was a
graveyard
staring at
you as
you came
in.
Maybe as
we age,
we should
start one.
So is
Becker right?
Does the
idea of
death,
the fear
of it,
haunt the
human animal
like nothing
else?
Becker,
to my
understanding,
not a
Christian,
and his
book offers
no solutions,
just observations,
but is he
right?
the author
of Hebrews
certainly
thinks so.
Wrote this
way before
Becker was
around.
Hebrews
chapter 2,
verse 14
and 15,
listen to
this,
since therefore
the children
share in
flesh and
blood,
he himself,
Christ,
likewise,
partook of
the same
things,
that through
death he
might destroy
the one who
has the
power of
death,
that is,
the devil,
right?
So Jesus,
incarnate,
became alive
so that he
could die,
and destroy
the one who
has the
power of
death,
that is,
the devil,
verse 15,
and deliver
all those
who through
fear of
death were
subject to
lifelong
slavery.
Deliver from
death those
who through
fear of
death were
subject to
lifelong
slavery.
Certainly,
Becker agrees
with the
author of
Hebrews.
death.
The fear
of death
controls
those who
have reason
to fear
death.
Let's go
back to the
promise offered
in verse 51.
Truly,
truly,
I say to
you,
if anyone
keeps my
word,
he will
never see
death.
Now,
we're obviously
not talking
about a
physical death
here.
We are
talking about
spiritual
death.
Here,
stated in the
negative,
we'll never
see death,
is the
offer of
eternal
life.
If we're
never going
to see
death,
then we're
going to
have life
forever.
This is a
theme developed
in the
teaching of
Jesus and
highlighted all
throughout
John's
gospel.
Let me
show you a
couple of
places
quickly to
round out
this offering
being made
to us
here.
Let's
start with
the stated
purpose of
John's
writing.
Turn with
me to
John
chapter
20.
I'll
read
verse
30
and
31.
John
says,
Now Jesus
did many
other signs
in the
presence
of the
disciples
which are
not
written
in this
book.
Jesus
did lots
of things.
He says,
But these
are written
so that you
may believe
that Jesus
is the
Christ,
the Son
of God,
and that
by believing
you may
have life
in His
name.
The total
purpose of
the book.
So here's
this theme.
It's
continuing to
work itself
out to
the very
end of
John's
writing.
John
chapter 11.
Turn back
a couple
pages to
verse 25.
Here Jesus
is speaking
to Martha
whose brother
Lazarus is
at the time
of speaking
to her
presently
dead
and
entombed.
And there
Jesus says,
John 11
verse 25,
I am
the resurrection
and the
life.
Whoever
believes in
me,
though he
die,
yet shall
he live.
And everyone
who lives
and believes
in me
shall never
die.
You see the
way he's
using this
language?
The physical
death and
the metaphorical
death or
the spiritual
death.
Do you
believe this?
He asked
Martha.
And John
17,
verse 3.
This is the
high priestly
prayer.
Jesus prays,
and this
is eternal
life.
Oh,
tell me.
Tell me
more.
Mansions and
gold streets
and sea of
glad,
these things.
No.
Somebody
says,
that they
know
you,
the only
true God
and Jesus
Christ,
whom you
have sent.
Eternal
life is not
just about
duration,
it will go
on forever,
but it is
about a
relationship.
It's about
being restored
to our
creator,
God.
Knowing him
and being
known by
him now
and forever
more.
So don't
miss that.
If you're not
found in
Christ this
morning,
you're living
in a state
of death,
if you
don't repent
and believe
in Christ,
that will
be an
eternal
death,
cut off
from God
for forever.
But if you
are in
Christ this
morning,
how encouraging
we have
life now,
spiritual
life now,
and we'll
have that
life now
and
forevermore.
How great.
If anyone
keeps my
word,
he will
never
see death.
They accuse
him,
he offers
life.
They
dishonor
him,
he speaks
words,
salvation.
Paul says
in Romans
5, 8,
God shows
his love
for us
in that
while we
were still
sinners,
Christ
died
for us.
So if we
want to
receive this
offer of
eternal life,
what must
we do?
Jesus
says,
if anyone
keeps my
word,
he will
never
see
death.
One could
easily think
that Jesus
means that
we,
by our
own
effort,
must obey
everything that
the Bible
commands,
that we
must earn
this offer
of eternal
life,
but this
is not
so.
That was the
danger of
breaking text
down to
tiny little
things.
You could
just take
this single
verse and
think,
okay,
I've got to
obey everything
Jesus said
and that's
how it
is,
that I'll
have
eternal
life,
but we
want to
be students
of the
whole
Bible.
And you
don't even
have to
do that,
you could
just be a
student of
the book
of John.
John does
not allow us
to misunderstand
what is being
said here.
I read a
couple of
texts to you
already that
talked about
belief,
right,
that we would
believe that
Jesus is the
Christ,
and that by
believing we
may have
life in
his name.
That's
John 20
and verse
31.
John 11
verse 25,
I am the
resurrection
of life.
Whoever
believes in
me,
though he
die,
yet shall
he live.
And whoever
lives and
believes in
me shall
never die.
John chapter
1 verse 12
and 13,
but to all
who did
receive him,
who believed
in his name,
he gave the
right to
become children
of God,
who were
born,
not of
blood,
nor the
will of
the flesh,
nor the
will of
man,
but of
God.
John 3
and verse 36,
whoever believes
in the Son
has eternal
life.
Whoever does
not obey
the Son
shall not
see life,
but the wrath
of God
remains on
him.
And I
think John
3,
36 makes
it most
clear that
the obedience
being talked
about in
our text
is to
believe
in the
Son,
to believe
that the
promises
he made,
the things
he said
about himself
and the
things he
said would
accomplish
are in
fact
true.
Becker
may not
offer us
any solution
to the
problem of
death,
but Jesus
certainly
does.
Jesus,
God
himself,
became
a man,
put on
human flesh,
flesh,
we call
this the
incarnation,
dwelt
both as
God and
man,
fully at
the same
time.
If you
want to
pocket up
a great
theological
term,
this is
called the
hypostatic
union,
God and
man at
the same
time,
so that
he could
live a
perfect
life,
never without
any sin.
he fulfilled
all the
requirements of
the law,
all of the
things that
are expected
of us,
if we're to
be found
perfect before
God,
an undestroyed
relationship
before God,
he accomplished
it.
Perfect
life.
But not
only that,
he died
a sacrificial
death,
a death that
he did not
deserve,
he had
committed
no sin,
and yet,
for all who
believe in
him,
he took
on
their sin
on the
cross.
God poured
out his
wrath
for us
onto
him.
This is
why at
the end,
verse 59,
we see them
picking up
stones to
throw at
him.
Jesus is
not being
cowardly
at this
point.
Oh no,
I better
avoid the
stone
throwing.
He hides
himself and
goes out
of the
temple because
that was
not how
he was
meant to
die.
He knew
this,
he knew
there was
a divine
timeline,
it wasn't
time yet,
and so
he avoids
being stoned
to death.
Why?
So that he
would be
lifted up
on a
cross.
So,
we have
Jesus'
perfect life
and his
sacrificial
death,
so that
by faith,
by believing
he is who
he says
he is,
and he
accomplished
what he
said he
accomplished,
his
righteousness,
his
perfect
law-keeping
would be
given to
us,
and our
sin would
be given
to him.
Those two
things,
double
imputation,
get a
bonus
theological
phrase to
put in
your pocket,
the great
exchange.
But it
doesn't stop
there.
It would
be really
tragic if it
stopped there,
in fact you
shouldn't
believe it if
it stops
there,
because the
next step,
Jesus'
solution for
the problem
of death,
is that he
was raised.
He defeats
death.
He declares
victory over
death,
because he
is alive,
that we
might have
life in
him.
Righteousness
is given
to us,
sacrificial
death on
our behalf,
he is raised,
he is alive,
and he's
ascended,
he's gone to
the Father,
and he's
seated at his
right hand,
and he
intercedes for
us,
and he's
sent to
us a
helper.
He has
given to
us the
church,
he works
mightily
through
his
people,
even
now on
your
behalf.
Like,
how does
this text
connect to
us today?
Is that
Jesus did
all of
this,
and is
now still
doing it?
Seated at
the right
hand,
building his
church,
none of
you are
here by
accident.
If you
found
yourself
sitting
here,
listening
to me,
at all,
it's
because God
has
intentions
for your
life.
Don't
reject
Jesus as
the
Christ.
John
8,
verse
48-49
shows us
something
deeply
sobering
and
deeply
hopeful.
The
eternal
son of
God
stood
before
men
and
they
called
him
a
demon.
And
yet,
that
same
son
would
go to
the
cross.
He
would
be
mocked,
beaten,
crucified.
Not
because he
deserved it,
but because
we did.
He was
dishonored so
that we
might be
forgiven.
He was
rejected so
that we
might be
received.
He died
so that
we might
live.
So the
question is
not merely
what
happened
then.
The
question is
for us
now.
What
will you
do
with
Jesus?
Because
his promise
still
stands.
Truly,
truly,
I say
to you,
if
anyone
keeps
my
word,
he
will
never
see
death.
Let's
pray
together.
Let's
pray
together.