Before Abraham Was, I Am
First B Jackson
2022-11-27

Automatically transcribed. Where this and the recording disagree, the recording is the record.

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Good morning, everybody. How are you? All right. Good. Are you ready?

Are you ready? Joy to the world. Would you stand up? We're going to start singing some Christmas music this morning. We'll mix it up a little bit.

It is the first Sunday of Advent. So here we are gathered and decorated and ready to go.

Joy to the world, the Lord has come. Let earth receive her king. Let every heart prepare him room. Heaven and nature nature sing and and nature sing and heaven and heaven and nature sing. Joy to the world, the savior reigns.

Let men their songs implore. Wild fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains. Repeat the sounding joy. Repeat the sounding joy. Repeat.

Repeat the sounding joy. He rules the world with truth and grace and makes the nations prune. The glories of his righteousness, wonders of his love, and wonders of his love, and wonders, wonders of his

Amen. There's a verse we left out, that no more let sin and sorrow grow. Isn't that good? No more let sin and sorrow grow, not nor thorns infest the ground. He comes to make his blessings flow, far as the curse is found.

And that curse is found. Right? All over, we see it all the time. He comes to make his blessings known as far as that curse is found. Amen.

Joy to the world. Make me a blessing. How about that? Hymn number six seventy.

Out in the highways and byways of life Many are weary and sad. Carry the sunshine where darkness is rife, making the sorrowing glad. May Jesus shine. Make me a blessing. Oh, savior.

I pray. Make me a blessing to someone today. Tell the sweet story of Christ and his love. Tell of his power to forgive. Others will trust him if only you prove through every moment you May me a blessing.

Me a blessing out of my life. May Jesus shine. Make me a blessing. Oh, save your high praise. Make me a blessing to someone today give as was given to you in your need love as the master loved you be to the helpless a helper be unto your mission be true Make me a blessing.

Me a blessing out of my life. May shine make me a blessing oh savior I pray make me a blessing to someone

Amen. Y'all can have a seat. I've got a few announcements this morning. One of em is Monday nights at first B is happening. It is gonna be tomorrow night.

Nancy Terraziano is making the meal. Carl is leading the music and preparing the message from Mark. It is up to the place where Jesus talks about his, true brothers and sisters. Good time to be had by all at meal, music, and a message tomorrow night, Monday night, 06:00 down the hall. And while I'm mentioning that, there's not a excuse me, not a slide for it, but Awana, the game circle here.

I had a little kid in the first services. First time he and his family, whole family had had visited, and they're planning on going to church here. They tell me later that the mom and the dad had both scouted it out, but the kids had not been here before. And they're moving here January 1, and he said, what's this white tape right here on the floor? I said, Oh, that's the Wana Game Circle.

And he was like, What's that all about? I said, It's a kids' club where they come on Monday nights at 06:00 in the evening. They start out in this room around this game circle and then spread out from there learning scripture, and the kid said, I'll be here. Pretty cool. So that's happening.

Friendsgiving. Friendsgiving was a big success. They set out plates and tables and they had exactly the right folks show up. And that's a little picture of that with the fireplace burning in the background there. But it was a fun time was had by all.

That was a great gathering Thursday evening. Children's Christmas Choir is in full swing. Lisa Landis is doing practices between services. So if you have a child or grandchild that you want to get involved in that, the time is between services, ten a. M, meet up with Lisa Landis downstairs, and they will train them up.

And December 18, we'll have a combined service, just one service at 10AM, and that'll be the time for them to show off all that practice and praise God together. The Jackson Hole Women's Community Bible Study is putting together the JH Women's Christmas luncheon again this year, December 7. They have missed the past two years, haven't done it. So if you want to be there, it's 12PM Snow King Ballroom. You can RSVP our church weekly email or you can just call us and we'll get the word to them that you're coming.

December seven, twelve pm, Snow King Grand Ballroom is where that's going be. Should be a fun time. The Angel Tree is up. You probably noticed it. Had to walk around it to get in here.

So it's up and there are tags. I can see them hanging on it. If you are needing anything, any more information, can text Tanya, my wife, (956) 357-3676. If you want to talk to her about something or if you want to text her about something, she'll call you and help you figure that out. There is a chili cook off that's happening.

This is an annual event, the Buzzard Breath Chili Cook off. But it happens on the same night that we go caroling. So we start off caroling about 04:30. We'll gather here, wear something warm, and we will wander from here around different neighborhoods, and probably send somebody to Sage if they'll let us in. We'll see.

04:30 caroling, and then 6PM, we'll do the chili cook off here. That's a fun time, December 11, so that's two weeks from today. Connect hour and Monday nights, kitchen volunteers always needed. You can sign up down in the fellowship hall. And today is the first Sunday in Advent.

Here is Justin. He's going to come up, talk on the red mic, read our Advent reading.

Hi, I'm Justin.

Okay. There you go.

Okay. So we've first Sunday in Today is the first Sunday in Midday. We light the first candle, the candle of hope. We hope We have hope because of the faith promises of God. He sent his son, and we receive our savior, savior born to redeem the world from sin and death.

Passage from Romans fifteen thirteen says, may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Amen. Thank you, Justin. Amen. Would y'all stand and we'll sing yep. Right there is good.

Perfect. His eyes on the sparrow. We know he's watching. Thank you, Justin. Appreciate it.

Why should I feel discouraged? Why should the shadows come? Why should my heart be lonely and long for heaven and home when Jesus is my portion, my constant friend is he. His eyes on the sparrow, and I know he watches me. His eyes on the sparrow, and I know he watches me.

I sing because I'm happy. I sing because I'm free for his eyes on the sparrow. And I know he watches me. Let not your heart be troubled. His tender words I hear, and resting on his goodness.

I lose my doubt and fear. Go by the path he leadeth, But one step I may see his eyes on the sparrow, and I know he watches me. His eyes on the sparrow, and I know he watches me. I sing because I'm happy. I sing because I'm free for his eyes on the sparrow, and I know he watches me.

On the last, whenever I am tempted, whenever clouds arise, when song gives place to sighing, when hope within me dies, I draw the closer to him from care he sets me free. His eyes on the sparrow, and I know he watches me. His eyes on the sparrow, and I know he watches me. Because I'm happy, I sing because I'm free, for his eyes on the sparrow, and I know he watches me. Amen.

The birthday of a king.

Hallelujah. How the angels sang. Hallelujah. How it rang and the sky was bright with a holy light. It was the birthday of a king.

It was a humble birthplace, but oh, how much God gave to us that day. From the manger bed, what a path has led, what a perfect holy

Amen. Talk and have a seat. So we come to the offering time now. The ushers will come forward and pass the plates. But I'm thinking about metaphorically, what is it that we're putting in the plate this morning?

What are we offering to God to say, Lord, use this as you see fit? Are we giving him our time? Are we giving him our our words? Are we giving him the meditations of our heart? Right?

Let's pray. God, I pray that we would be awaking, Lord, with breath in our lungs. And when we breathe out in the morning, Lord, that first breath is of praise to you for the mercies that are new every morning. Lord God almighty, I pray that you would be reflecting who you are off of us onto our friends and our family, coworkers, and just the community around us. Lord, I talked with somebody this morning who who is regularly walking in Durban, South Africa.

That's as far away from us on land as you could be on this great big ball. Lord, I thank you that we are ministering and called minister with the way we walk. Lord, thank you. I pray that you would spread your good gospel through your humble and obedient servants. May we be them, Lord.

I also pray that you take the financial resources that are placed in these plates and that you would multiply them, and that you do your work right here in this community unto the very uttermost parts. In Jesus' name, amen. This morning, we're up to John eight twelve. That's right after the story that I mentioned last week that I actually spent the whole time on last week, the woman caught in adultery. And, as we are looking at this first slide, it says the intensification of controversy.

They already want to kill Jesus. How much more intense could it be? Right? But it is intensifying. The further that he goes in revealing who he actually is, the more aggravating it is, especially for the religious establishment.

But also, it's making a very clear offer. Now I told y'all, I think it was three weeks ago, that I had planned to preach all of John seven, all of John eight, and that woman caught in adultery. That was not happening. Right? Just too much.

But I do want you to keep it in mind. John seven, he had given a very clear gospel presentation. Good news. Right? Good news that if there's any of you out there who's thirsty, it was a feast of tabernacles, so they would have been hearing from Isaiah talking about the rivers of water of salvation that are coming.

And so right after that message on the last and greatest day of the feast, I'll quote it later on in the sermon, but it says, Jesus stood up and said in a loud voice, if any of y'all is thirsty, come to me. Come directly to me. If any of y'all is thirsty, come to me and I will give you this water of life and you will then have rivers of living water that'll just be flowing out. He's speaking of the spirit. John tells us that.

The next thing that we see well, it says, and everybody went to their homes, and Jesus went to the Mount Of Olives. The next thing we see is the story of the woman caught in adultery. I'll go over it. I'm just gonna read it because I think it sets up the very simple straightforward truth that Jesus has to share. He's not grandstanding.

He's not making more of the truth. He's not pounding the pulpit. He's just sitting and talking. So this is early in the morning. He came again into the temple area, and all the people were coming to him, and he sat down and he began teaching them.

That is Jesus' habit. It's his custom. Each time that we see him in the temple area, he is preaching, teaching, specifically teaching. And he was doing that when he was a little boy, 12 years old. He was speaking like somebody that they had never heard anybody that talk like that, and that was his habit.

Whenever he was there, he was doing that. So all the people were coming out to him, and he sat down. He began teaching him. Now the scribes and the pharisees, they brought a woman who's caught in the act of adultery. And after placing her in the center of the courtyard, they say to him, teacher, this woman has been caught in the very act of committing adultery.

Now that means they're witnesses. How hard for that lady must that have been? Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. Actually, it's the man and the woman in the law. Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women.

What then do you say? And they were trying to trick him. They were putting him in a position of either saying that the law should not be adhered to, like controverting the law. That's a big charge in first century Judaism. Like, you can't say anything against the law.

So they're putting him in the position of either speaking against the law or losing his reputation for being loving and merciful, forgiving. Now, they're saying this to test him. It says so plainly. So they might have grounds for accusing them. They're trying to get him on anything that they could.

But Jesus stooped down and with his finger wrote on the ground. And anytime I see this, it's the only time that Jesus in the New Testament writes anything. And he writes with his finger. And it's specific to say so, always reminds me of this. Exodus 31, after God had given Moses when he had finished speaking.

God had finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai. He gave Moses the two tablets of the testimony, the tablets of stone that were written by the finger of God. Wow. Isn't that quite a callback? I mean, we're talking about the law, what the law says, and Jesus starts writing with his finger.

Might have been writing the same thing. We don't know what he wrote. But he could have written those 10 commandments and not a single person stands. Right? We all fall short of the glory of God.

When they persisted in asking him, tapping their feet and leaning in, turning up the pressure, he straightened up and he said to them, he who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her. And again, stooped down, he rode on the ground. Now when they heard this, they began leaving one by one, beginning with the older ones. Beginning with the older ones, I think with age comes wisdom. We hit a point in life where we go, wow, there are a lot of things I wish I had not done.

There are a lot of sins that I've committed that I can't do anything about now. Upon reflecting on life at an older age, I think that we're in a better position in some ways for seeing our own error. Beginning with the older ones, and he was left there alone, and the woman was where she was in the center of the courtyard. And straightening up, Jesus said to her, woman, where are they? Where'd they go?

Did no one condemn you? And she said, no one, lord. And Jesus said, I do not condemn you either. You go. Technically, be going.

From now on, do not sin any longer. Now, that's kind of where I left off. I mentioned, you know, the textual history of this and whether or not it should be included or excluded. I think it fits perfectly exactly where it is. Jesus had given in chapter seven this, come unto me.

And in chapter eight, he's given another, come unto me, in a very straightforward, sitting down, teaching in the temple kind of place. And this is a demonstration of what he's talking about. There's no condemnation at all for those who are in Christ Jesus. There's no condemnation. There is conviction.

If you're reading the scripture and you feel like, wow, looking at Jesus, I don't measure up. I believe in him. I trust him. I wanna walk a righteous life. Lord God almighty, I don't measure up.

Help me today to walk in holiness. And he will, and he does. In humility, speaking to God, he has grace for that. He resists the proud. There's no condemnation for those who are in Christ.

Actually, last week's message was sort of a dividing line. After the first service, I had several people that actually came forward and said, that's me. I'm that woman. Other people said, that's me. I'm those guys with the stones, and I had to drop them at some point, and I and I find myself wanting to pick them up again.

Right? And then I had a couple folks that said, I think it's possible to walk in holiness, and just living a righteous life in front of someone will convict them. And I said, That is true. That's right. I have a professor.

We sang, Come thou fount of every blessing, in the first service, and there's a line in there. It says, prone to wander. Lord, I feel it. And I had a professor that would not sing that part. He insisted on the victory that we can walk in victorious Christian living.

And so when he got to prone to wander, Lord, I feel it. He said, He wouldn't sing it. We sang it twice this morning. It is very real. We are really prone to wander.

We have if we've accepted Christ, there's no condemnation. We have the Holy Spirit, and we can walk forward with the conviction of God that will transform our lives and possibly other people's lives. It has an effect, But it's also possible to walk in the flesh. Even religiously, it's possible to walk in the flesh and feed that, and that's not good for us. So prone to wander, Lord, we feel it.

Prone to leave the God we love. Take my heart, Lord. Seal it. Let me feel your presence and know you're with me and be able to walk forward in holiness. There's no condemnation at all for those who are in Christ Jesus, and there's not.

There is conviction. But if you're reading the Bible and you feel damned, that's the devil. As a believer, if you read in the Bible and it and you feel condemned by what it says instead of challenged and encouraged and transformed, sanctified by what it says, then that's the devil. It's just that's the way that it is. There is conviction, but there's no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, and that's the operative phrase, for those who are in Christ Jesus.

If you don't have Christ Jesus, you stand condemned. So here we go. Forward. This is today. Teaching in the temple area.

In the temple area, it says, Jesus again spoke to them after this incident with the woman, I believe. And he said, bold claim, I am just stopping right there would be enough. I am, self evident one. That's how God introduced himself to Moses. Right?

I am the light of the world, and the one who follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life. That's a bold statement following up this bold climactic appeal from the feast of tabernacles. Now, on that last day, chapter seven thirty seven says, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood up and he cried out in a loud voice saying, if there's anyone out here that's thirsty, y'all be coming to me and drink. Take in what it is that I have for you. The one who believes in me, as the scripture said, from his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.

And John goes on to say, that's the Holy Spirit. He will give that freely. In this case, he says, I'm the light of the world. The one who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. So the pharisees said to him, you're testifying about yourself.

You're testifying about yourself, and your testimony is not true. Now, they're saying this on a technicality. If you look up in the law, all of the matters of life are confirmed by testimony of two or three witnesses. A single witness shall not rise up against a person regarding any wrongdoing or any sin that he commits. They, at the beginning of the story, were already seeking to kill Jesus.

Okay? Already. And Nicodemus in chapter seven, it said, does our law condemn somebody without first hearing from him and the witnesses? So this is in context here. On the testimony of two or three witnesses, the matter shall be confirmed.

Did that stand? So that's Old Testament. In the New Testament, in Matthew, we've already heard it. We did this Matthew 18 about a month and a half ago, but if he will not listen, that's your brother. You go to him.

If he's sinning, you go to him and if he won't listen to you directly, take one or two others along so that every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. This is the third time in second Corinthians that I'm coming to you, Paul says, and every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. First Timothy five, he's given that letter to Timothy who's gonna be an elder. Pastor at Ephesus, do not entertain an accusation against an elder except on the testimony of two or three witnesses. John, this was the quote from Nicodemus, does our law convict a man without first hearing from him to determine what he's done?

Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. This is thoroughly biblical. So they're making a biblical argument is what I'm getting at. They're making a biblical argument from the law to him. So, the Pharisees said, you're testifying about yourself but your testimony is not true.

It doesn't stand And Jesus answered his head to them, even if I am, I know how it looks to you, even if I am testifying about myself, my testimony is true. It's true because I know where I came from. Jesus is in a unique position. He is the only one who has ever been in his position. He was with God throughout eternity.

Before Genesis one one, there was John one one. In the beginning, God. And he was there with him. And so how does he testify with a witness to that? They were they weren't there.

Jesus' censors said, even if I am testified about myself, my testimony is true because I know where I came from, and I know where I'm going. I have a very clear understanding of what's happening, but you all don't know where I come from, and you all don't know where I'm going. You don't get it. I understand that you don't get it, but you don't get it. You judge according to the flesh.

I'm not judging anyone. Now, the I'm not judging anyone, Jesus' first coming, when he got up to preach in the temple in his hometown of Nazareth, the little synagogue in Nazareth. When he got up to preach, they handed him the Isaiah scroll, he started, I've come to proclaim gospel, freedom to the captives, sight to the blind, that the lame walk. I'm come to announce the favorable time of the Lord. The age of grace.

He's opening up the age of grace. Your time is always opportune. Now Jesus says that he's opened it up. And what they were expecting to hear next, the very next line in Isaiah is, and the day of vengeance of our God. But Jesus stopped at the acceptable time of the Lord.

Didn't talk about the vengeance. He was not ready for judgment. He was opening it up to give people a chance to have those rivers of living water, to give them a chance to follow after the light, him being the light. But the problem was they he came into his own, and they did not recognize him, and they didn't recognize him as light because they judged according to the flesh, not according to the spirit. You judge according to flesh.

I'm not judging anyone. But even if I do judge, my judgment would be true. For I'm not alone in it. My father who sent me is with me in this. Even in your law, it has been written that the testimony of two or three or two people is true.

I am he who testifies about myself, and the father also who sent me testifies about me. How did God testify about him? What did they have in front of them? What did they memorize? The Old Testament.

The Old Testament is absolutely about Jesus. It's all looking forward to him. The testimony of God is that there was a coming one, and Jesus is claiming to be that coming one. I am he who testifies about myself, and the father who sent me testifies about me. That's two.

So they were saying to him, where where is your father? Where is your father? And Jesus answered, you know neither me nor my father. You're looking at me and you don't know me but you definitely don't know him. If you knew me, you'd know my father also.

He said that to Philip later on. He said it to Thomas later on. Even the disciples didn't really get this, right? We don't know where you're going. We don't understand this.

Tell us where you're going. I am the way, the truth, and the life. That's the context for Thomas' discussion later on in John. Philip says, you say that we know, but what does the father look like? Have I been with you this long, Philip?

And yet you still don't know. If you've seen me, you've seen the father. You know neither me nor my father. If you knew me, you'd know my father also. These words he spoke in the treasury, and he taught in the temple area, and no one arrested him because his hour had not yet come.

Then he said again to them, okay, I'm gonna go away, and you'll be looking for me. And this is to the Pharisees and scribes now. I'm going away and you'll be looking for me and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come. So the Jews were saying, surely he'll not kill himself, will he?

He's not gonna kill himself, is he? I mean, I don't understand what this guy is saying. I don't get it. When he says where I'm going, you cannot come. We're not gonna do that.

I can't imagine. What's he talking about? And he was saying to them, you are from below, and I'm from above. You are of this world, and I am not of this world. That's about as plain spoken as it can get.

Right? He's just presenting the truth, sitting there, teaching in the temple, just sitting there. He's not grandstanding. Therefore, I said to you that you'll die in your sins. I said that you're gonna die in your sins because unless you believe that I am, you'll die in your sins.

I'm the way. I'm the truth. I'm the life. I'm the only way out of this. If the exclusivity of it bothers you or our culture, it's still true.

That's what Jesus says. And he said, if anyone is thirsty, come to me. That's an open invitation. He says, if any one of you will follow after me, I'm the light of the world. Follow after me.

You won't walk in darkness. Listen to what I'm saying. Accept it as true and follow me. Not all the other peripheral stuff. Pay attention to me.

I said to you that you'll die in your sins because unless you believe that I am, you'll die in your sins. Is that plain spoken? Is it an invitation? It's gospel invitation. Trust me.

Believe me. I know what it sounds like, and I know that your preconceived notions are inhibiting you accepting it. Then they were saying to him, who are you? Who are you? Who are you to be saying this?

And Jesus said, that's what have I been saying to y'all from the beginning? I've been talking to you about this a long time now, and you're not getting it still. What is it that I've been saying to you from the beginning? My message has not changed. My message has not changed.

There used to be a lot of miracles accompanying this message so that it would verify it. And there are people who have believed it, but I've been saying this from the beginning. I'm not saying anything new here. I have many things to say and eventually to judge regarding you, but he who sent me, father God, is true. And the things which I heard from him, these things are what I'm saying to the world.

They did not realize that he was speaking to him about the father, father God. They were judging according to the flesh. So Jesus said, when you lift up the son of man I I think that's an oblique reference to the cross. They certainly couldn't have known that at the time, but it says later on in John's gospel, he says, if I am lifted up, I'll draw all men to myself. If I am lifted up, and that's being lifted up on the cross, it's also being glorified and praised.

He will draw people through that. So, he says here to the Pharisees and scribes, when you lift up the son of man, then you will know that I am. And I do nothing on my own, but I say these things as the father instructed me. I'm just delivering the message. It's a rescue message.

It's a love note. But the other side of the good news is pretty hard to take. Is it not? The the other side of the good news is the bad news. He who sent me is with me.

He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him. Jesus' perfect record is hard to believe. It's really hard for them to believe, But he always did exactly what God intended for him to do. He who sent me is true. He's not left me alone for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.

And as he said these things, many came to believe in it. Ain't that cool? So everything I've said so far is actually pretty hard news, is it not? It was pretty hard stuff, but there were people that were sitting there that were taking it in. I I gave an example this morning from a couple of Boy Scouts.

So there were two Boy Scouts that wanted a religious badge. They had a whole sash full of merit badges, you know, night time, camp, and building fires, all that sort of stuff. But they wanted a religious batch. And the Boy Scout people, I'm the chartered organization rep. They've been meeting here for ninety something years.

And they said, No holds barred. Say what you need to say, preacher. You know, they're coming to you asking you what it is, and I thought, well, I'll just do a short kind of introduction walk through the gospel of John with them over the next three weeks, and and then just make it plain. One of them went to church here. He'd been to church here since he was born.

He had brothers and sisters. The other one did not. Just a kid from the community and the Boy Scouts, and I present the gospel kind of bridge diagram style at the end of it, and I said, Jesus has already lived a perfect life, had a perfect record, died a perfect sacrificial death so that anybody who trust in him would be saved simply by belief. And so after all was said and done, we're at the last little deal of this. I said, so tell me, as far as the Bible goes, book of John, we've looked at together.

What does the Bible say? For being saved. And the guy who went to church said, I gotta be nice to my sister. I need to give a part of everything that I have. I gotta do this.

I gotta do that. I gotta do that. He went on he went ahead about 10 things. And the other kid sat there with a furrowed brow and looked at him across the table. And when he finished talking, I said, what do you think?

He said, you said Jesus paid, right? I said, yep. He goes, I'll go with that. That's the simple gospel right there. That sounds good to me.

I I'm I'm I'm failing at all this other stuff. Unless you put your trust in him, you'll die in your sins. It's he said it flatly. He said these things, and many came to believe him. It is it is as simple as I'm going with you.

I I love that story, and I love the mid the the story of the guy on the cross next to Jesus. Can you imagine his entry into heaven? Everybody's asking him what he thought about all these different things. He's like, justification by faith. I don't know.

I don't know what you're talking about. Don't know any of that stuff. He says, well, why are you here? The man on the middle cross said I could come. Right?

That's it. This is the discourse to professed believers. So I broke it into three pieces. The discourse to professed believers starts off saying that, so Jesus was saying that to some of those Jews who had believed in him. Actually believed him, not believed in him.

They were sitting there and mentally, they're like, okay. I can go with you there. But were they believers or were they professed believers? They're professing to be believers, but Jesus says to those Jews who had believed him, if you continue in my word, then you are truly my disciples. Don't get hung up and worry and think about whether or not you can lose your salvation.

Jesus is saying, if you are my my disciples, you will continue in my word. It's just gonna be a part of what happens. You will be given the spirit, and the spirit will convict your sin, commit you of righteousness with God, and it'll lead you into the truth that God has for you. If you continue in my word, then you're truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. Amen.

The truth will set you free. That's great. But what did they say when they heard this? If you continue in my word, then you are truly my disciples, and you'll know the truth. The truth will set you free.

And they said, we're Abraham's descendants. We got this covered. We're not worried. There's no bad news for us. We're Abraham's descendants.

We've never been enslaved to anyone. Think about that statement. Egypt, Babylon. Yeah. They've been enslaved over and over and over again.

We're Abraham's descendants. We've never been enslaved to anyone. The Romans were over them right then. How is it that you say you will become free? That's a bold claim, Jesus.

And Jesus said, truly, truly, I say to you that everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. It's individual. It's not just corporate nation of Israel, Abraham's line. Right? The promise of God to Abraham was for all who would trust in God.

Right? Truly, truly, I say you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. Now the slave does not remain in the house forever, but the son does remain forever. So if the son sets you free, you really will be free. If the son sets you free, and that's who I am.

That's who he's claiming to be. He's already claimed it, and he's saying it again. If the son sets you free, you'll really be free. I know that you're Abraham's descendants. He doesn't say that it goes further than that though.

Y'all, I got it. You're of the line of Abraham. You're very careful to keep up with all the genealogies and all that stuff. I trust that, yes, you are Abraham's descendants, yet you're seeking to kill me. Do those two things go together?

The chosen people of God. We're we're trusting in that that line. We're trusting in our heritage in this family, but they're trying to kill the one that God promised. You know? Know that you're Abraham's descendants, yet you're seeking to kill me because my word has no place in you.

I speak of the things which I've seen with my father, and therefore you also do the things which you heard from your father. This is getting harder and harder. Your father. They would claim Abraham. And then they answered and said to him, Abraham's our father.

Abraham's our father. And Jesus said to them, if you're Abraham's children, then act like it. Do the deeds of Abraham. What did Abraham do? Actually, maybe better put, what did Abram do?

Genesis fifteen six says, then Abram believed. He believed in the Lord, and God credited that to him as righteousness. Paul repeats it in Romans four. Right after Romans three twenty three, when we know that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, that includes Abraham, Moses, all the patriarchs. It includes everybody.

What does scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. There are several other places I could pick, but I'm not gonna go into all of them. If you are Abraham's children, then act like it. Do the deeds of Abraham.

Just believe God, and I'm sitting right here in front of you. But as it is, you're seeking to kill me, a man who's told you the truth, which I heard directly from God, and this Abraham did not do. That's just plain spoken as it can be. When Abraham heard what God said, leave the land that you know and go to a place I'll show you, it says, up he got and went from the land that he knew. You're doing the deeds of your father.

And they said to him, we're not born as a result of sexual immorality. We heard about your mother, Mary. My goodness. Despicable. As we come up on the Christmas season and we think about the scandal that that must have been.

We weren't born as a result of sexual immorality. We have one father, God. And Jesus said, if God were in fact your father, you'd love me because I'm right here in the flesh, God's spirit. None of y'all have seen him but if God were actually your father, you'd love me. For I came forth from God and I'm right here in front of you.

Now, I've not even come on my own. He sent me. He sent me on a rescue mission. He sent me to love, heal, and forgive, as the song says. Why do you not understand what I'm saying?

It's because you cannot listen to my word. Another place he says, my sheep hear my voice, and you're just not listening. You are of your father, the devil. I might make a point right here that a lot of modern I mean, it's been happening for a long time now. But they tried to write the devil out of anything.

It's a little embarrassing to include demons and devils and whatnot, and that's just kinda no. We don't go there. But Jesus did. Jesus said there is such a thing. You have an enemy.

Peter says, you have an enemy. He's the adversary, the prosecuting attorney. He is the accuser of the brethren. And Jesus is saying to the pharisees and scribes there, you can't listen to my word because you are of your father, the devil, the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the very beginning.

When he started tempting Adam and Eve to pull away from what God had said, he was setting in motion murder. He was a murderer from the very beginning. He stirs up hatred. He does not stand in the truth because there's no truth in him. What he wanted to do was elevate himself and be higher than God.

I will make myself like the most high. He does not stand in the truth. There is no one like our God. You might think, well, there's a duality. There's good and evil.

God's represented the good. Devil's representative of evil, and there's this yin yang that's happening. No. No. No.

No. No. God is almighty. Devil is a created being who is a liar. He does not stand the truth.

There's no truth in him. Whenever he tells a lie, he speaks from his own nature. His mother tongue is lying because he's a liar. He's the father of lies. He's lying to you right now.

But because I say the truth, you don't believe me. Which one of you convicts me of sin? Now we've just had this example of the lady who was caught in adultery. Witnesses. Jesus didn't do things in secret.

He was out teach teaching in the temple all the time. Which one of you convicts me of sin? He had not done anything that was sinful and wrong. Now, he's in a unique position there too. Right?

He listens to the father's will, empowered by the Holy Spirit. He walked it out in perfection. Which one of you convicts me of sin? There was no one there that could. If I speak truth, why then do you not believe me?

The one who is of God hears the words of God. And for this reason, you do not hear them. You study them. You go after them. You've got them memorized, but you don't hear them.

You're not applying them to your life because you're not of God. But he's making a new appeal. The age of grace is open. He's already said, any one of y'all, pharisees, sadducees, scribes, Romans, poor people, rich people, don't care who you are. Anyone who's thirsty, let them come to me.

I'm the light of the world. Come here, and you'll be able to see your way out of this mess. The one who's of God hears the words of God. For this reason, you don't hear them because you're not of God. Simplest apologetic Jesus could possibly give, and now we have a response, the response of unbelievers.

Now, at the beginning of that, it said that someone believed him. It sounds like several of them were trusting in their heritage in Abraham, and they weren't really believers in him, but this is no doubt about it. People who are rejecting it out of hand. And anytime you present the gospel, people either say, I'll I'll go with that, or they'll say, no. Or they'll say, let's talk about this later.

Right? That's the only those are the three options. The response of unbelievers. Jesus answered and said to them, do we do we not rightly say that you are a Samaritan and that you have a demon? They hated the Samaritans.

Jesus arrived from the road to Samaria, by the way. You gotta be a Samaritan. You can't be on our team. Don't be saying you're on our team. Don't definitely don't be saying you're the leader of our team.

Do we not rightly say that you're a Samaritan and that you have a demon? And Jesus answered, I don't have a demon. I I said in the first service, sometimes Jesus's response sound like Andy Griffith to me. He's like, oh, Barney. I don't have a demon.

On the contrary, I honor my father. That's what I'm doing. That's what I'm doing with my life. Healing the guy on the Sabbath, that was honoring to God. I don't have a demon.

On the contrary, I honor my father, and you dishonor me. That's the truth. But I'm not seeking my glory. I'm not out here grandstanding trying to make a name for myself. That's not what it's about.

There is one who does seek my glory. That's my father. And he's the one who judges. He's the only righteous judge. Oh, I love in Peter.

He says, he continually kept on entrusting himself to the one who judges right rightly. Even when they were insulting him, even when they were putting him on the cross, he kept on entrusting himself. Jesus kept on entrusting himself to the one who judges rightly. There is one who seeks my glory, and he is the one who judges. And truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone follows my word, he will never see death.

Wow. Another bold statement. Come for salvation, come for illumination, and now he's saying, come for preservation. And the Jews said to him, now we know you've got a demon. Now we know that you have a demon.

Abraham died. Your argument's not valid. Abraham's gone. There's nobody better than Abraham. And the prophets died as well.

Jesus could've said, yeah, y'all killed them. I sent them on a rescue mission too. He rejected them and killed them. Abraham died. The prophets died as well.

And yet you say, if anyone follows my word, he'll never taste of death. If anyone follows my word, he'll never taste of death. You're not greater than our father Abraham who died, are you? The prophets died too. How could you say this?

Whom do you make yourself out to be? Who do you think you are? And Jesus answered, if I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. You're already not listening to the truth. I I can't vault self.

I don't do that. Just humility before God. My glory is nothing. If it is my father who glorifies me, of whom you say he is our God. Jesus is not even willing to say that he is their God.

They claimed to know God And Jesus is saying, the one that you claim to know, that's my dad. I am the son of God, and I'm right here expounding the simple truth of that, and you're rejecting it. You've not and you have not come to know him yet, but I know him. I know who he is. And if I say that I don't know who he is, I'd be a liar just like you.

But I do know him, and I follow his word. I go where he leads me. I do what he asks of me. I just trust him. Your father Abraham was overjoyed, just absolutely overjoyed.

I know Abraham. He was overjoyed that he would see my day. This age of grace opening up just tickled Abraham. He saw it and he rejoiced. And so the Jews said to him, you're not even 50 years old.

How in the world do you claim to have known Abraham? You're in your thirties for crying out loud. Silly. Ridiculous. Why?

Why? Because they were judging according to the flesh. It it sounds ridiculous. You judge according to the flesh. I'm not judging anybody.

I'm just here to bring this message. And Jesus said to you to them, truly, truly, verily, verily, I say to you, before Abraham was, before Abraham was born, I am. Oh, I am is the self evident one. When Moses met God at the burning bush and he said, who should I say sent me? He said, tell em I am sent you.

The self evident one. I am. Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham even was born, I am. And that infuriated him, and therefore, they picked up the stones again. They picked up the stones to throw at him this time.

That's why I think that that story fits right where it fits. Therefore, they picked up the stones to throw at him. It made him so angry. But Jesus hid himself and he left the temple grounds. I think that's the last slide for today.

I'll probably get back to Matthew, Mark, and Luke the next weeks, but I think this transitional point, seven and eight of John, really gives a a picture of the intensification of the controversy. Like, we don't have an exact referent today for how Jesus' fame and glory was growing because he was in such a unique position. He was able to get away and teach more teach more intimate settings with the disciples who's able to keep on going forward. I was challenged by this, that Jesus doesn't grandstand. I think that a lot of Christian people today, people who claim Christ today, do that a lot.

I think that we feel like we've got righteous right on our side, so that makes us righteous. I think that we end up pounding the pulpit a lot. I had a professor in seminary and he would say, weak point pounds the pulpit. Just make the point. If the Bible says it and you say it like it says it, let it stand.

You don't have to rail on this to get the point across. Jesus didn't do that. He wants the message heard. It does say that he said in a loud voice, if any of y'all out there want this, come to me. And he said it repeatedly in a lot of different ways, and it can be understood.

I'm gonna pray right here, and then I'll ask Judy if you'll come forward. This song we're gonna sing is called, Oh Love That Will Not Let Me Go. God, I pray that you would strip away from us all of our preconceived notions that are inhibiting our knowing who you are. I pray, Lord, that you would strip away any religiosity that is not helpful. I pray, Lord, that we would see people and have compassion on them like you did.

I pray, Lord, that we would walk in the power of the spirit, that it would be our first choice, not our last resort. I pray, Lord, that we would be reflecting your goodness, kindness, mercy, love in a way that's winsome and that the community around us and all the way to the uttermost parts would see it and be drawn to you. Lord God Almighty, may we live out the good news of the gospel, not just salvation, but sanctification process. May we be true each day that we live. In Jesus' name.

Amen. Would you stand with me? We'll sing, oh love that will not let me go.

Oh, love that will not let me go. I rest my weary soul in thee. I give thee back the life I owe, that in thine ocean depths its flow may richer fuller be. Oh, I that followest all my way. I yield my flickering torch to thee.

My heart restores its borrowed ray that in thy sunshine's blades its day may brighter be. Oh, joy that seeketh me through pain. I cannot close my heart to thee. I trace the rainbow through the rain and feel the promise is not vain that mourn shall tearless be. O cross that liftest up my head, I dare not ask to fly from thee.

I lay in dust life's glory dead and from the ground there blossoms red, life that shall in less be.

Amen. Jeremiah 31 says that God has loved us with an everlasting love. That's a that's something to celebrate this season. That's something to really celebrate. I'm gonna pray just a bit and then the benediction.

God help us. Sincerely, God help us. Help us get out of our own way. In Jesus' name, Lord. Amen.

And now may God make his face to shine upon you and give you peace. Amen.