And it claimed that the man initially accused his wife of infidelity,
but then when the paternity test revealed that this was truly his children,
his wife then confessed that she had had a complete plastic makeover worth about $100,000,
which was the result of, which is what resulted supposedly in these children.
And the story was circulated along with this picture of two, I mean, really beautiful couple,
and then three admittedly not so pretty children.
It was circulated, but it turns out the story was an urban legend,
and the picture was not of a real family.
Rather, the two parents were actually models, which is why they were so good-looking,
and the children were Photoshopped to look suspiciously ugly.
And it was actually originally an advertisement of a Taiwanese plastic surgery center,
complete with the tagline,
the only thing you'll ever have to worry about is having to explain it to the kids.
So this appalling story, it's funny now that we know that it's fictional,
but it teaches us not only an important lesson about checking your sources,
whether you're a news agency that covered it or people who are reading it,
but even more, it illustrates the principle of paternity.
This story was plausible to us because we know instinctively,
we know from experience that children are supposed to resemble their parents.
They're supposed to look like their parents.
They're supposed to act like their parents.
And in this passage, we find the Jewish leaders and Jesus debating about the true paternity of the Son,
and saying, who is truly the Son of God?
And the question is of the utmost importance,
because it is only the true Son of God who can reveal God the Father to us.
And Jesus demonstrates convincingly in this passage
that He is the true Son of God who liberates those enslaved to sin and death.
That's the main point of this passage.
And He proves this with four things.
At first, He bears the Father's witness.
Second, He speaks the Father's words.
Three, Jesus does the Father's works.
And finally, He shares the Father's oneness.
So in these four proofs, Jesus demonstrates that He's the true Son of God
who liberates those enslaved to sin and death.
The Father's witness, Father's words, Father's works, and the Father's oneness.
And the first proof is that Jesus bears the Father's witness.
And Jesus makes this incredible claim in verse 12,
I am the light of the world.
Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.
And we know from chapter 7 that this setting is during the Feast of the Tabernacle,
or the Feast of Boots.
And during the celebration of the Jews,
they had an elaborate ceremony involving water and light.
And the light part, they lit four huge lamps in the temple courts,
and people danced and sang through the night while holding torches in their hands.
And the witnesses, ancient witnesses of this festival wrote that you could see the light
emanating from the temple precinct to all of Jerusalem during the Feast of Tabernacles.
And this would go on for days.
And moreover, Zechariah 14, 5-7, prophesied,
and this passage was actually a part of the liturgy,
the passage that they read during this feast.
And it prophesied that there will be on the last day no more day or night
because the light of God will shine.
And so in light of this loaded context, Jesus says,
I am the light of the world.
So it's an audacious claim to say the least.
And so the Pharisees confront him in verse 13.
You are bearing witness about yourself.
Your testimony is not true.
And they're referring to what Jesus himself said earlier in chapter 5,
where he said,
If I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not true.
There is another who bears witness about me,
and I know that the testimony that he bears about me is true.
So they're kind of quoting Jesus' words back to him,
saying, You're bearing witness about yourself, so this can't be true.
And what they're saying, in essence, is,
I mean, you could make up whatever you want about yourself, right?
You could invent stories.
I mean, so it's not really verifiable if you say it for yourself,
but if someone else corroborates it, then there's some weight.
It could hold water.
That's what they're saying.
And that's why we need, when we apply for jobs or colleges,
references to go along with resumes that we submit.
And so there is something futile about praising oneself,
bearing witness to oneself.
So the Pharisees jump on that, and they say to Jesus,
you're bearing witness about yourself, and so it's not true.
And Jesus answers them in verses 14 to 15.
Follow along with me.
Even if I do bear witness about myself, my testimony is true,
for I know where I came from and where I'm going.
But you do not know where I come from or where I am going.
You judge according to the flesh.
I judge no one.
So Jesus is not playing by their rules here.
So he says, in effect,
So what?
What if I am bearing witness about myself?
The fact that you cannot verify what I said doesn't mean that it's not true,
because in fact it is true, Jesus says.
And he says,
the reason he gives for this is,
So this is not unlike, you know, in court when a witness is being cross-examined,
and the lawyer questions the witness saying,
well, how do you know that happened?
What do you know about this?
How can you say that?
And the witness simply responds,
well, I was there.
I mean, I was there.
I saw it with my eyes.
And Jesus is, in fact, saying,
I was there.
I was with the Father in heaven,
and now I'm going back to him soon,
to the glory and dominion I had before I came.
But you, on the other hand,
haven't a clue about the heavenly realities of which I speak.
So therefore, I can bear witness about myself, says Jesus.
And he continues,
You judge according to the flesh.
I judge no one.
Judging according to the flesh means that they were,
had the limitations incumbent on all human beings.
Their knowledge is finite.
Their character is flawed.
Therefore, their judgment also is fallible.
But Jesus says he doesn't judge like that.
He judges accurately.
And it's not saying here that he doesn't judge at all,
because he does judge.
But he's saying that he's not judging in an ultimate,
final sense at this time.
Because as he said in chapter 3, 17,
God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world,
but in order that the world might be saved through him.
Jesus will come again to judge the world,
but this time around,
he has yet come to save the world.
And so he says,
You judge according to the flesh.
I judge no one.
But Jesus doesn't stop there.
He tells them that even by their own standards,
Jesus is not bearing witness to himself alone.
He does have someone that's corroborating his witness.
He says in verse 16,
Yet even if I do judge,
my judgment is true,
for it is not I alone who judge,
but I am the Father who sent me.
And he continues,
In your law it is written
that the testimony of two people is true.
I am the one who bears witness about myself,
and the Father who sent me
bears witness about me.
Now, the Father bore witness to Jesus at his baptism
when he spoke and said,
This is my beloved son with whom I am well pleased.
The Father also continually bears witness to his son
with his presence.
It says in verse 29,
And he who sent me is with me.
He has not left me alone.
The Father is with the Son at all times.
But the Jews who are arguing with Jesus
is not satisfied with that answer.
Because they don't see the Father with their own eyes.
And so they ask him in verse 19,
Where is your Father?
And Jesus answers,
You know neither me nor my Father.
If you knew me,
you would know my Father also.
The reason Jesus gives
for why the Jewish leaders don't recognize his Father
is because they don't know him.
And Jesus is saying,
in fact,
that his family resemblance
is so obvious,
so plain,
that he resembles the Father,
God his Father,
that the fact that these Jews
don't recognize him
is a sure evidence
that they do not even know the Father.
Which is,
of course,
very offensive to the Jews.
And so they say in verse 20,
they wanted to arrest him,
but they could not.
Because his hour had not yet come.
So this is the first proof.
Jesus bears the Father's witness.
And the second proof Jesus offers
for his true sonship
is that he speaks the Father's words.
In verse 26,
26,
When you have lifted up the Son of Man,
then you will know that I am he,
and that I do nothing on my own authority,
but speak,
just as the Father taught me.
We know that he is the true Son of God
because he speaks precisely the words
of his own Father.
And he can do this
because he has heard the Father.
He's been with the Father.
And he's,
because he's from above,
from the heavenly realm of God,
as opposed to from the earth below,
like these Pharisees,
the creation that's in rebellion against God.
And what is the Father's word
that Jesus speaks?
It's in verse 23 and 24.
You are from below.
I am from above.
You are of this world.
I am not of this world.
I told you
that you would die in your sins.
For unless you believe
that I am he,
you will die in your sins.
That's the word of the Father,
the word of salvation
that Jesus had been proclaiming
from the beginning,
that Jesus was sent by the Father
to rescue us from our sin.
That's why he says,
unless you believe
that I am he,
you will die in your sins.
Now, this is a really
interesting way to phrase that
because what does I am he mean?
There's no context.
He just says,
I am he.
Who is he?
Who is Jesus speaking of?
And that's,
he says it twice
in verse 24 and 25
and also in verse 28.
And the Jews apparently
had the exact same question
because they say to him,
who are you?
He said, I am he.
Who are you?
Tell us.
And this phrase,
I am he,
is an allusion to
Isaiah 43,
verses 10 to 13,
where God says to Israel,
his people,
you are my witnesses
and my servant
whom I have chosen,
that you may know
and believe me
and understand
that I am he.
Before me,
no God was formed,
nor shall there be
any after me.
I,
I am the Lord
and besides me,
there is no savior.
He declared
and saved
and proclaimed
when there was
no strange God
among you
and you are my witnesses,
declares the Lord.
And I am God
and henceforth,
I am he.
There is none
who can deliver
from my hand.
So,
it's kind of confusing
at first listen
because he goes
back and forth
with the first person pronoun
and third person pronoun.
And the reason why
God does that
is because he's declaring
that he is the only God.
No one existed,
no God existed before him,
no God exists after him.
He's the one
who always is.
He is.
And though the Israelites
had worshipped idols
in the past
and though they had
sought other gods,
the only God
that they had ever needed,
God declares,
I am he.
And Jesus
now appropriates
that
powerful claim
to divinity
for himself.
The savior
you've been waiting for.
The Messiah
you've been looking for.
The God
whom you've been calling out to.
I am he,
says Jesus.
And so,
the only way
we can escape
dying for our sins
is to believe in him
and entrust ourselves
to him.
And that's
what he's referring to
when he says,
when you have lifted up
the Son of Man.
The language of lifting up
refers to being lifted up
on the cross,
Jesus' death
on our behalf
for our sins.
And this is
the message we proclaim
week in and week out,
but this is not something
that we can take for granted.
There was a study
published by
Ligonier Ministries.
It was commissioned
by,
they commissioned it
and had
Lifeway Research
conducted it.
And they surveyed
3,000 Americans
to see what their
theological beliefs were.
And 45% of Americans
believe
that there are
many ways
to get to heaven.
And what's
even more alarming
is that 11%
of self-proclaimed
evangelicals,
people who
profess to believe
in the gospel
of Jesus Christ,
say that they also
believe that there
are many ways
to get to heaven.
It's 1 in 10,
which means
if that holds
for this group,
that's about four of us
sitting here right now
believe that.
There are many ways
to get to heaven.
But Jesus says
very clearly,
there's only one way
to get to heaven
and that is through Him.
Unless you believe
that I am He
who will die
in your sins,
Jesus says,
we will die
in our sins.
This may sound
exclusive
to some of us,
especially in Cambridge
where we like to
a diversity of ideas,
we like to learn
from different cultures,
we like to read
different news sources
and glean insights
from everyone.
But when it comes
to salvation,
when it comes
to belief in God,
there's only one
salvation.
As C.S. Lewis
writes about it
in his book
Mere Christianity,
that the question
of religion
is much like
arithmetic in this sense.
He writes,
there's only one
right answer
to a sum
and all other
answers are wrong.
So don't believe
someone when they say
what you believe
is true
but what I believe
is also true.
You can get to heaven
that way
but you could also
get to heaven
this way.
it's more
intellectually honest
to admit
that sometimes
the beliefs
that we hold
undermine
and contradict
other people's beliefs
and then we can
truly have
a meaningful conversation
and Jesus does
exactly that.
He is the true
son of God
who liberates people
who are enslaved
to sin and death.
And it says
in verse 30
when he said
these things
many believed in him
which is encouraging
because Jesus
has not had
a good track record
up to this point.
Many believe in him
but apparently
we can't quite
be encouraged by that
because it's
a superficial faith.
It seems to be
a faith
that's a simple
mental ascent
but there's no
real commitment
to Jesus
because if you
read along
we see that
these people
who believed in him
were also the same
people who
are seeking to kill him.
The same people
who are still dying
in their sins
as Jesus says.
So
when Jesus says
in verse 31
if you abide
in my word
you are truly
my disciples
and you will know
the truth
and the truth
will set you free
that foreshadows
what is to come.
It's not enough
to simply believe
in a mentalist
and you need to
abide in his word
and to abide
is to remain in it
to hold on to it.
and maybe some
of you guys
have been to
Mount Rushmore
in South Dakota.
I've not been there
myself
but I've read
about this
is that
there's apparently
two million
over two million
visitors every year
but as
that many people
go through
only few of them
understand the fact
that
the monument
doesn't just
stay that way
without effort.
There needs to be
rigorous maintenance
work each year
and so
workers have to
inspect the entire
face of the mountain
to remove bird nests
and then pull shrubs
growing in the crevices
of the rocks
and then they also
have to most importantly
fill the cracks
that form naturally
on the surface
of the mountain
because if they don't
fill that
with a special mixture
of granite dust
and linseed oil
I think that's
flaxseed oil
and white lead
and then it will
erode
when snow
and rain
seep in
and then freeze
it will shatter the rock
the image of the face
of the presidents
so we don't see
all the work
that's going in
we just simply enjoy
this monument
when we visit
and our faith
likewise
must be tended to
and maintained
we must abide
in God's word
and persevere
in our faith
because the world
the flesh
and the devil
have a wearing effect
on us
adversities
that we face
the disappointments
the gradual decay
of our hopes
and loves
the chronic temptations
that rear their ugly head
again and again
these have a wearing effect
on us
and that's one of the reasons
why it's so important
to gather as the body
of believers
each week
to be renewed
in our commitment
to be refreshed
and reminded
of the truth
and the same survey
I quoted earlier
also notes
high level of correlation
between church attendance
and theological
orthodoxy
that's why Jesus says
if you abide
in my word
you are truly
my disciples
and you will know
the truth
and the truth
will set you free
and the Jews
respond to Jesus
in verse 33
we are offspring
of Abraham
and have never been
enslaved to anyone
how is it that you say
you will become free
and they're taking offense
at the suggestion
that they might
potentially be enslaved
because they're proud people
who boasted of the fact
that they were descendants
of Abraham
and so their spiritual heritage
is really
something
that no one else
can claim
and so for that reason
they never thought
of themselves
as being spiritually enslaved
and they're referring
to spiritual enslavement here
because politically
I mean there was not
a major power
in the ancient world
that they had not
been enslaved
they've been enslaved
by a lot of people
right
I mean Egypt
Roman Empire
Syria
Babylon
Greeks
everyone
and so they're talking
about spiritual enslavement
and Judaism taught
that if you study
the Torah
which is the first
five books
of the Bible
that it would make
you free
so it's surprising then
that to these Jews
who had dedicated
their lives
to studying the Torah
Jesus says
that suggests
that they are enslaved
presently
that they need
to be free
and in doing so
he's of course
saying something
about himself
that he's the one
that the law
was pointing to
he's the one
the truth
that can set them free
and so he explains
this further
in verse 34
truly truly
I say to you
everyone who practices
sin
is a slave
to sin
while it is true
that they are
biologically offspring
of Abraham
they are not spiritually
the offspring
of Abraham
so they can't put
their confidence
in their heritage
and likewise
for us
it doesn't matter
whether we have
believing parents
or whether we grew up
in the church
maybe even our parents
are pastors
that's not enough
for us
we need to believe
so we need to be set free
from our own sin
and as I was preparing this
I was reminded of
a show on the
Discovery Channel
called Moments of Impact
are you guys family with?
this is not
it's not like
an ongoing show
I think
it's like older
it's
and there's a video
that I saw
on it one time
it showed
a teenager
with his friends
because
videoing themselves
because they had
a pet lion
which is
I mean really cool
I mean if you're a teenager
so he had a pet lion
and of course
they want a record of it
so they seem to have
fixed the tripod
and they were recording this
and there's three of them
just patting away
at this lion
and then
all of a sudden
the lion
turns his head
and then bites
the arm
of the teenage boy
and then starts
pulling him
away
and so everybody
is now up in arms
all the adults come
they try to pull him away
but the lion
is stronger than all of them
put together
keeps pulling him away
and so
the tug of war
of life
and death
begins
and this
and it's a fully grown lion
too
a 500 pound lion
and so
everyone in that situation
and people watching it
are shocked
right
oh I can't believe
that happened
but really
should we be shocked
at all
I mean this is
a lion
a lion is not a pet
right
and it's
lions are apex predators
right
they hunt
and kill
that's their instinct
that's what they've been
trained to do
and it's not
a freedom to enjoy
to have a lion
as a pet
that's rather
terrorizing
that's something
that's a tyranny
to live under
and sin
is like that as well
we think
that we can
indulge in sin
indulge our flesh
we think
that we can tame sin
and tell it to
sit
and stay
and roll over
but sin
always
eventually
consumes us
sin is by nature
enslaving
and that's
the slavery
that we should be
most concerned
about
and
this is
especially hard
for us
to remember
because we live
in the so-called
land of freedom
but when we remember
we can consider
this slavery to sin
really we live
in a land of slavery
and Dr. Eric Foley
who's the head
of the Voice of the Martyrs
Korea
which is
Voice of the Martyrs
is an organization
that brings attention
to Christians
being persecuted
throughout the world
and tries to provide
practical aid
and he once did
an interview
on a radio
and said
this about
North Korean Christians
he asked
he told them
one time
hey
you know
that the American
church is praying
for you
praying for Christians
in North Korea
and then they
responded this way
you pray for us
we pray for you
that's the problem
with
the American
Christians
and South Korean
Christians
you have so much
and you put your
faith
in your money
and in
your freedom
in North Korea
we have neither
money nor freedom
but we have
Christ
and we've found
he is sufficient
they don't pray
for the freedoms
that we have
because freedom
in Christ
they believe
can't be taken
away from them
they don't pray
for regime change
they pray
they don't pray
for freedom
and money
they pray
for more of Christ
in their lives
to experience
this freedom
that they have
in him
and that's
in a country
that's on the top
of the list
every year
for persecution
of Christians
being executed
for their faith
and being sent
to internment
camps
Christians
experiencing
true freedom
in Christ
and that's
the spiritual
freedom
that's promised
to us
by Christ
and Jesus
alone is able
to provide
that freedom
because he alone
is the true son
he says in
verses 35
to 36
the slave
does not remain
in the house
forever
the son
remains forever
so if the son
sets you free
you will be free
indeed
in this culture
a slave
was a hired
hand
they owed
some kind
of debt
so they
become a slave
and until they
pay that
they work
and once they
pay that debt
they're free
to go
and so they
are not a permanent
member of the household
but on the other hand
the son
who belongs
to the
who's part
of the owner's
family
is part of the
household forever
and so on that
basis Jesus
says
it's only the son
who can liberate
slaves
for good
and notice
the word
remain
he says
the son
remains
forever
that's the
very same
word that
Jesus used
earlier to
say
if you
abide
in my
word
you are
truly
my
disciples
we must
abide
in Christ's
word
because he
alone
is the
true son
who abides
forever
in God's
house
and in
this world
as we live
we might
follow
you know
the patterns
of this
world
we might
think
that
there's
power
in
the devil's
rule
and authority
exercised
here
in this
world
we might
indulge
our sinful
flesh
and follow
that
because we
think
that those
things
will remain
with us
but only
the son
remains
only the
son is a
permanent
member of
God's
household
and so he
says
when the
son sets
you free
you will
be free
indeed
and Jesus
is the
true son
of God
who liberates
those enslaved
to sin
and death
so Jesus
bears the
father's
witness
Jesus
speaks the
father's
words
and now
Jesus
also
does
the
father's
works
in stark
contrast
the Jews
who
in this
passage
are seeking
to kill
him
verses
39
to 41
Jesus
says to
them
if you
were
Abraham's
children
you would
be doing
the works
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
you are
doing
the works
your father
did
so Jesus
is saying
that true
paternity
true heritage
comes not
from biological
descent
rather we
must do
the works
of our
father
and Jesus
does the
works of
the father
which is
to save
and to
liberate
enslaved
those who
are enslaved
to sin
and death
but these
Jews
are doing
the works
of their
father
in seeking
to kill
him
and so
they object
in verse 41
we were not
born of sexual
immorality
we have one
father
even God
now that kind of
seems to come out of
the blue
doesn't it
why are they
talking about
sexual immorality
in this situation
and the reason
there might be
two different
reasons
and the first
is
they might be
making a snide
remark
being cheeky
here
referring to
Jesus
birth
because you
know he
was conceived
by virgin
Mary
and which
to the
unbelieving
eyes
looks very
much like
you know
illegitimate
child
you know
marriage
infidelity
and so
they might be
a cheeky way
of saying
well we
were not
born of
sexual
immorality
we have
one father
even God
and a
second
reference
maybe to
a Samaritan
folklore
Samaritans
as you know
were considered
by Jews
to be
racial
half-breeds
and political
rebels
who had
adulterated
religion
that's how
the Jews
viewed the
Samaritans
and the
Samaritans
returned the
animosity
and so
they did
not get
along
with each
other
and they
both
circulated
these
slandering
stories
about the
biological
origin
of Jews
and Samaritans
and the
one that
Samaritans
liked to
throw around
was that
these Jews
were not
actually descended
from Abraham
but that
they were
descended
Abraham
was descended
from Seth
son of Adam
but they said
that Satan
seduced Eve
and gave birth
to Cain
and that they
are actually
descended from
Cain
the line
evil line
not the
promised line
so this was
a rumor
that the
Samaritans
had been
spreading
so the
Pharisees
might be
thinking of
that
and thinking
oh Jesus
is taking
side with
the Samaritans
so they're
saying no
we're not
born of
sexual immorality
we have
one father
even God
but of
course
they're
missing
the point
because
Jesus
isn't
speaking
about
biological
heritage
he's
speaking
about
spiritual
heritage
which is
the only
kind
that counts
for him
so read
verses
42 to
47
with me
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 does not
stand in 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 a
father
of
lies
but because
I tell
the truth
you do
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
Jesus
lays bare
the unbelieving
hearts of
the Jews
right so he
says that
they are
just
their father
as
evidenced by
their actions
is the
devil
who deceived
Adam and
Eve
and led
them to
death
he was a
murderer
and a
liar
but unlike
these pseudo
children
of God
Jesus does
the father's
works
he is without
sin
as he says
which one of you
convicts me of
sin
no one can
Jesus is the
true son of
God who
liberates
those enslaved
to sin
and death
and now
after
imagine this
is a long
back and
forth between
the Jews
and Jesus
the Jews
that are arguing
with Jesus
are by this
point fully
incensed
they are
extremely angry
they say to
him in verse
48
are we not
right in
saying that
you are a
Samaritan
so that's
referring back
to the
accusations
they thought
Jesus was
leveling at
him
are we not
right in
saying that
you are a
Samaritan
and have
a demon
and Jesus
says
I do not
have a
demon
but I
honor my
father
and you
dishonor me
that I
do not
seek my
own
glory
there is
one who
seeks it
and he
is the
judge
and this
riles up
the Jews
even more
and they
say well
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
be
and they
can't
possibly
explain
such
audacity
without
resorting
to the
fact
that
Jesus
must be
insane
he must
be possessed
by a
demon
and then
Jesus
answers them
again
verses
54
and 56
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 he
says later
your father
Abraham
rejoiced
that he
would see
my day
he saw
it
and was
glad
now notice
the parallel
here
because in
verse 50
Jesus had
said of
God the
father
that he
is the
one who
seeks
glory
he is
the one
who seeks
glory
but now
here in
verse 54
he says
the father
seeks
the son's
glory
the father
is glorifying
the son
and so
in saying
that Jesus
is making
a unique
identification
with the
father
the father
is the
only one
who seeks
glory for
himself
who can
seek
rightly
seek
glory
for himself
yet
this
same
self
same
father
seeks
glory
for
the
son
so
he's
speaking
of their
unity
he shares
the father's
oneness
and the
Jews are
incredulous
and so
they scoff
at him
in verse
57
you are
not yet
50 years
old
and have
you seen
Abraham
and Jesus
responds
authoritatively
truly
truly I
say to
you
before
Abraham
was
I
am
Jesus
doesn't
simply say
before
Abraham
was
I
was
that would
simply mean
that he's
really old
but no
he says
I
am
he is
the God
who said
I am
who I
am
in Exodus
3
14
the eternal
God
the God
who always
is
the God
who is
sovereign
and not
accountable
to or
dependent
on anything
or anyone
he is
that sovereign
God
he shares
the father's
oneness
and that's
why he's
the true
son who
can liberate
us
liberate
those
enslaved
to sin
and death
and I
hope
this morning
and I
pray this
morning
that every
single one
of you
come to
terms
with the
full force
of what
Jesus
is saying
the claims
that he
is making
because if
I were to
stand here
and make
the same
claims
that Jesus
is making
I hope
you say
that I'm
a lunatic
I hope
you say
that I'm
possessed
by a demon
because that's
the right
assessment
if he
doesn't
back it
up
and that's
what C.S.
Lewis talks
about in his
book
he says
I am
trying here
to prevent
anyone
saying
the really
foolish
thing
that people
often say
about him
I'm ready
to accept
Jesus
as a great
moral teacher
but I don't
accept his
claim to be
God
that is the
one thing
we must not
say
a man who
was merely
a man
and said
the sort
of things
Jesus said
would not
be a great
moral teacher
he would
either be
a lunatic
on the level
with the man
who says
he is a
poached egg
or else
he would be
the devil
of hell
you must
make your
choice
either this
man was
and is
the son
of God
or else
a madman
or something
worse
you can shut
him up
for a fool
you can spit
at him
and kill
him as a
demon
or you can
fall at
his feet
and call
him Lord
and God
but let us
not come
with any
patronizing
nonsense
about his
being a
great human
teacher
he is not
left that
open to us
he did not
intend to
so who
do you
say
Jesus
is
Jesus
claimed
that he
is a
true
son
of God
who
liberates
those
enslaved
to sin
and death
and do
you believe
that
the ultimate
proof of
that he
gave when
he died
for our
sins
and rose
again
from the
dead
as the
first fruit
of resurrection
life that
he promises
us
and when
you believe
him we
will have
life
we'll have
the light
that gives
life as
Jesus promised
in verse
12
so if
you're
not a
believer
then I
want to
exhort you
this morning
to consider
this before
you leave
talk to
someone before
you leave
and if you
are a
believer
then I
encourage
you
to live
in light
of the
freedom
that Christ
won for
you
abide
in his
work
because
he's the
only one
who can
liberate
us
from sin
and death
let's pray
together
God as we
remember
your
incredible
claim
you are
the true
son of
God
who saves
us
Lord we
can't help
but be
thankful
that you
have revealed
this to
us
the one
way of
salvation
the one
and only
son
of God
we pray
God you
would help
us as a
church to
live in
light of
this reality
and make
us bold
in proclaiming
this truth
to those
who do not
yet know
you
so that
you may
be glorified
so that
you may
be all
in all
in Jesus
name we
pray
amen