True Life - John 8:41-59

Hey guys, thanks for listening to our Calvary Chapel Charlotte podcast. I will walk by faith and not by sight.

Well, good morning everybody. Welcome to Calvary Chapel Charlotte. God answered my prayers. The rain stopped. Hallelujah, for a little bit.

So we could all be here somewhat dry. You can open your Bibles to John chapter 8. I have some sad news.

We're going to finish John 8 today. But I have some good news. John 9 comes next. Woo! Some good stuff there. I have really just been so blessed going through John 8.

It's just been an awesome chapter. It feels like it's come to me to feel like it's its own thing by itself. Just its own book, almost. It started with the woman caught in adultery. As Jesus responded to that with such grace, such humility, minimizing her shame, relieving her of the condemnation, and sending her to sin no more.

Then he makes that awesome statement in verse 12. I am the light of the world. He that follows me shall not walk in darkness, and shall have the light of life. And we've seen how he kind of will make these statements.

John will present them to us. He'll give us almost like a dissertation or conversation or a teaching Jesus has about one of these truths. And then we'll get the example.

We saw with the feeding of the 5,000 and then Jesus being the bread of life. We saw with the woman... I'm sorry, what was the next one we saw?

Oh, where Jesus said that he is the bread of life. I can't remember the next one now, guys. But anyway, and then we saw that example. I think, no, it was the bread of life, right?

Because this is the next one where he says, I am the light of the world. And he's going to show in John 9, as he comes upon the man that was born blind, he's going to show the reality of that.

With the woman caught in adultery, he showed that he is the sufficiency. There is no one else who's sufficient. No other relationship, no amount of seeking after the flesh, the things of this world, will be sufficient except for him.

And as we finished out and as we're finishing out this chapter, as Jesus makes that statement in verse 12 that he's the light of the world, we're given many ways in which he shows that is true.

The light of the world that illuminates a true witness, a true way, a true work, a true word, a true freedom, a true father. That's where we kind of ended last week and we'll continue this week to see a true follower, true life, and a true legacy as we finish out this chapter.

But as we ended last time, we saw in verse 38, and Jesus says, I speak that which I've seen with my father. You do that which you've seen with your father. He kind of gave us a little taste of what's to come because this week he's going to tell the Pharisees, your father's the devil.

But he's saying, I speak that which I've seen of my father. You do that which you've seen of your father. And we talked about the difference between that he's describing here a spiritual father as opposed to a natural heritage.

And they answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. And Jesus said unto them, if you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham. But now you seek to kill me, a man that has told you the truth, which I have heard of God.

This did not Abraham. We're going to see that sons, they emulate their father. Spiritual sons emulate their spiritual fathers. Spiritual sons of faith emulate their father of faith, Abraham.

Spiritual sons of God, they emulate the God of the spirit, the God who is the spirit, their father. And spiritual sons of sin, they emulate their spiritual father, the devil.

A true disciple, we saw, Jesus said, a true disciple is one who continues in my word. A true disciple is a true son who is truly free. John 8, 36, if the son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.

And in the Greek, he shall free you free. A son is free, free from the servitude of sin. He's no longer a servant in the house. He's now a son. Free to partake of the blessing of the spirit, as we saw last week, that comes by faith.

In Galatians, Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us. No longer are we servants of sin, because Jesus freed us from that servitude by taking upon himself what was needed for our freedom.

To pay the penalty, to pay the debt. Cursed is everyone that hangs on a tree. For what purpose? That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ.

That we might receive the promise of the spirit through faith. As sons of Abraham, are we his genetic heritage? Are we now joined with Israel? Does the church now take over the blessings of Israel?

Are Israel in the church one? Not at all. The blessing of Abraham that came upon the Gentiles was what? We might receive the promise of the spirit. It's not just for Israel.

That the door would be open to all the Gentiles, Jew and Gentile alike. That they can have that new heart of the spirit. And how do we receive it? By faith. God, the true father.

Our true father. Our true spiritual father. We receive sonship by faith. We are freed from the servitude of sin. And now we get to enter into true life.

And that's what we're going to talk about today. So Jesus, as we said there, we ended in verse 40. Now you seek to kill me, a man that told you the truth, which I've heard of God.

This did not Abraham. And then he just flat out tells them here in verse 41. You do the deeds of your father. Their deeds declare their daddy. Is what he's saying.

You do the deeds of your father. Who was their spiritual father? What faith were they of? And what spirit were they of? Well, they were the children of unbelief.

What was their faith? It was unbelief. What spirit were they of? They're the servants of sin. And they said to him, we be not born of fornication. We have one father, even God.

Why would they say that? They're saying, well, who's your father? We know Joseph isn't your biological father. So Mary must have, you know, Mary supposedly had an encounter with God.

Sure she did. Sure she did. Jesus is speaking in terms they cannot grasp. They are seeking to understand Jesus' words. How? Through their natural perception.

God did an amazing, mighty, miraculous work. Fulfilling the word they said they believed. Fulfilling prophecy. Jesus comes of a virgin. And here we see they would not receive it.

They would not believe it because of the spirit they were of. Because of the faith they were of. Jesus is speaking in terms they cannot grasp because they are looking at this through natural perception.

What about you and I? How do we perceive things? How do we look at the world around us? Through what eyes do we look at it? For you and I, we are never to look at circumstances and seek to understand the world around us through natural perception.

We are never to look at the things that are taking place in life and try and process that through, okay, well this is how I understand this based on the circumstances I'm in. Based on my background.

Based on my natural heritage or whatever it is. And then I'm going to apply that understanding and that truth to the Bible. We need to do the opposite. We seek to understand circumstances. We seek to understand God's word.

We seek to understand circumstances, I'm sorry, through God's word. So these men, what are they doing? They're seeking to understand Jesus through natural circumstances. They're trying to understand the word through what they perceive, through their own understanding.

And what does it lead to? They begin now to tear down Jesus. They begin to try and discredit him. See, the flesh can never disprove the true spirit or the true word.

They can't. They can't disprove him. They can't show that he's a liar and that he's false. So what do they do? Well, they try to insult and discredit him. They can't disprove him. They can't prove that he's not true.

So what's the next thing they do? Well, you can't trust him. He's born of fornication. He's not valid. We have one father, even God.

Galatians 6, 8 says, You see, the flesh has no capacity to participate with the spirit.

The flesh would like to emulate the spirit. And it does in the sense that it has the same mode of operation. If you sow to the flesh, you're going to of the flesh reap. If you sow to the spirit, you shall of the spirit reap.

The flesh comes in as a, kind of comes in and tries to trick us. It comes in and it says, well, I'm actually of the spirit. Look, sow to me.

There's a harvest. I promise this time it will be a good harvest. But it never is. Because the two cannot cohabitate together. And here we see with the Pharisees, they claim to be of God.

And in a sense they are. Because they're of Israel, aren't they? They're of God's chosen people. They are 100% sons of Israel and sons of God. In Exodus 4, 22, when God is sending Moses to Pharaoh, he says, God acknowledges, Israel's mine.

They are my firstborn. But what does God expect from his sons? What do you expect from your sons? Obedience. Expect obedience. In Ezekiel, it says, Ezekiel's writing to Israel and prophesying for the voice of the Lord.

And the Lord says, son of man, or the Lord says to Ezekiel, I'm sorry, son of man, I send you to the children of Israel. To a rebellious nation that's rebelled against me. They and their fathers have transgressed against me even unto this day.

So here's this son that's in rebellion. God will correct his son Israel. He will. But he will never cast them off. Praise God.

Have you ever been a rebellious child of God? Never. I was born again. And everything's been great since. Are you kidding? What happens the closer you draw to the light?

It gets brighter. It gets harder to have things in your life that are dark. You find that you are more a sinner than you ever thought you were. You are more unworthy of his righteousness than you ever imagined.

What else do you find? Oh, there's no condemnation to them in Christ Jesus. That if we confess our sins, he's faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. For if we walk in the light as he is in the light, the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin.

We have fellowship one with another. God will correct his son, but he'll never cast him off. However, being God's naturally chosen son, Israel, did not in any way diminish their need to be his spiritually chosen son.

Ezekiel 36. Ezekiel 36. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you. And I'll take away the stony heart out of your flesh. And I'll give you a heart of flesh, a living heart.

And I'll put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes. You shall keep my judgments and do them. See, in Jeremiah 30, the Lord tells Israel, he said, I will not make a full end of you, but I'll correct you in measure.

And I will not leave you altogether unpunished. Right? Whom the Lord loves, he chastens. But being a naturally son did not diminish the fact they needed to be spiritual sons.

Nothing we can do can take the place of the need to be a spiritual son of God and to walk in the reality of that. I think sometimes we've been brought into this wonderful relationship in Christ.

We're in the light. We have a new heart. And we default back to the old way of living. The old way. The old son. The old heritage. And I try and live in the light as if I'm still a servant in the house.

God says, no, you're a son. Right? We're like that prodigal who's still trying to get the story out to dad. I'm no longer worthy to be called your son. Will you just eat? I've killed the fatted calf. You got the robe.

Eat it. I'm not worthy to eat it. What do I need to do to convince you of this? Jesus says unto them, if you, if God were your father, you would love me. For I proceed forth and come from God.

Neither came I of myself, but he sent me. Jesus is saying a spiritual son of God. He comes from the father of light. And if I have come from the father of light as a spiritual son, I should be recognized by the fellow sons of light.

Listen, guys, if you're of my father, you'd recognize that I'm of the father. Why do you not understand my speech? Even because you cannot hear my word.

Jesus says some things we would never say to people. Maybe it would to our kids. You're not listening. Why do you not understand what I'm saying? Because you are not listening.

But he says to them, you don't understand my speech. You don't understand me. You can't hear my word. And they're standing there going, we're hearing every word you're saying, Jesus. To understand speech, you must first have the ability to hear speech, right?

If you can't hear, we talked about this with being blind. With someone who's in the dark and trying to convince them that they're in the light when they're blind. Trying to convince them that what you're experiencing is the same thing they are.

You just can see more. It's hard if people are spiritually blind. You see so much more than they do. Well, it's the same if you're spiritually, got your ears plugged. Zechariah 711 says, but they refused to hearken and pulled away the shoulder and stopped their ears that they should not hear.

Jesus is essentially saying, you don't understand my speech because you're unwilling to hear what I'm saying. You've stopped up your ears. They're willfully blind to the light and willfully deaf to the word.

And now Jesus drives it home. In verse 44, he's going to tell them that their father is the devil. You think, see, Jesus isn't as loving as we think he is. Jesus is pretty mean to people.

No. But the woman caught in adultery, he said, go and sin no more. I don't condemn you. To these Pharisees, he spent more time talking to the Pharisees than most anybody else.

You can't say he didn't love them. He loved them. He wanted to reach them. Open your eyes. But he was honest with them. You see, to hypocrites, to those who come and say, oh, God's my father.

Oh, I'm in the light. He calls it like it is because he knows he's not going to help them by just leaving them in their blindness. But he never rubs sin in anyone's face. But he tells them the truth.

You are of your father, the devil. And the desires of your father you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning and he abode not in the truth. Because there's no truth in him.

When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own. For he is a liar and the father of it. We have a contrast here between our true spiritual father and the false father.

The true father, what does he desire? Life, truth, and sons of life and truth. That's what God desires for us. What does the false father do? Well, look at the scripture here.

He's a murderer. The true father desires life. The false father wants to extinguish life. He abode not in the truth because there's no truth in him. He wants to extinguish truth.

And lastly, he's the father of those who are liars. He wants to have sons who seek to extinguish life and truth as well. The contrast between the father who desires life, truth, and sons of life and truth.

And the one who wants to extinguish life, extinguish truth. And who desires to make sons after himself. Don't be surprised when you run into some of his offspring. Not only will they not accept you, they won't extinguish you.

John 10.10, the thief comes not before to steal, to kill, and destroy. You know, I think for you and I, we know we shouldn't listen to the devil. We know he's a liar, don't we?

What's the problem? Well, he's really good at hiding those lies. What does the scripture say? That he appears, his ministers appear as angels of light.

It looks like light. But guess what? He wants to extinguish life, extinguish truth. And he just wants to make people after that. How do you know? I think we need to do what Zechariah 7.11 said that rebellious Israel was doing with the devil.

Pull away the shoulder, stop our ears, and not listen. We need to apply that to the enemy. The father of life, of truth, always desires sons of life and truth.

It may look good, but as Jesus says here, you can't hear because you won't accept my word. Just because it looks good doesn't mean it lines up with the word.

So it's Jesus saying here, though, that the Pharisees, they are now the natural sons of the devil. You are the genetic offspring of the devil. You are now, no, what is he saying? We're talking about spiritual sonship, aren't we?

The Pharisees are not the spiritual sons of who? Abraham. They're not. But they are 100% the genetic sons. You and I, as the church, we are not the genetic sons of Abraham, are we?

No. But we are his spiritual sons, aren't we? For you are all children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

And if you be Christ's, then are you Abraham's seed, singular, and heirs according to the promise, singular. The promised seed who would bring this blessing of the spirit by faith was Jesus.

And come to find out it wasn't just for the Jew. It was for all who would enter in. The genetic son needs to be a spiritual son, Israel. The Gentiles are not going to come by works, thinking we can somehow please the gods.

We need to be spiritual sons, too. We partake of the spiritual seed, and that seed is who? It's Christ. It's Christ. He's saying that you have not partaken of that, Pharisees.

You have not partaken of the spiritual seed that your father Abraham partook of. And because I tell you the truth, verse 45, you won't believe me. Isn't it interesting?

He didn't say, because you don't understand what I'm saying. Because my arguments aren't any good. Because if only I had studied a little more on, you know, how to win arguments and influence people for Christ.

If only I had done that. What does he say that they reject? The truth. I tell you the truth, and you will not do what? Believe. Not that they won't understand.

Not that they have not grasped this truth. They just won't believe. You see, it is precisely because of the truth that the Pharisees have rejected Jesus. They are not rejecting him because of the arguments that are not good, but simply because they hate what is true, because it exposes them for what they are.

What is Jesus exposing them as? They're dark and devilish. You're not of the light. You're not of the true father. You are dark and devilish. You and I should not be surprised when the gospel actually causes greater unbelief.

I thought it's the power of God unto salvation for everyone that believes, the Jew first and then the Gentiles. Absolutely it is. But it also leaves no room. No room for ambivalence.

No room for a gray area. You're either in the light or you're in the dark. If the response is not light, what is the only response left? Darkness. 2 Corinthians 4.4 It's a parallel passage that you could parallel alongside the parable of the sower, where the seed is sown on the heart that's hard.

The ground is hard and the heart is hard. The enemy comes and he takes it away. You see, the God of this world has blinded the minds of them that will not do what? They won't believe. It's not that he blinded them so they could not believe.

They would not believe. If the response is not light, it can be only dark. And we should not be surprised when we shine the light on people that they react because they don't want to come to the light.

Because their deeds are evil. They love it. Jesus says then, all right, I've told you the truth and you don't believe me. He poses two questions to them.

Which of you convicts me of sin? And if I say the truth, why don't you believe me? See, Jesus' heart for the Pharisees, he loves them. You guys won't believe.

I'm done with you. You know what? We have talked about this. What we've been talking about is since about chapter three. Come on, guys. Look at his heart. Okay.

Which of you convicts me of sin? Have I sinned? And if I say the truth, why won't you believe me? You see, one of the greatest proofs that we have of Jesus being the true spiritual son of God is his relationship to sin.

What does it say in 2 Corinthians? For he has made him to be sin for us who knew no sin. Jesus' relationship to sin was he didn't own it.

It wasn't his. But he willingly took it upon himself. And did it condemn him? Did it do what sin does when I take sin upon myself? Know that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

His relationship to sin is the true proof that he is the true son of God. He was able to take sin upon himself, condemn sin in the flesh, and then overcome sin. Why?

Because he is light. He is life. Light can't stay in the dark, and life can't stay in death, can they? The proof of our spiritual parentage is our relationship to sin.

We then, as the seed of Christ, becoming part of Christ, we also take on those same characteristics. The proof of our spiritual parentage. What is my relationship to sin? Sons of the true spiritual father, they have power over sin, don't they?

Man, as we come into a relationship with Christ, we find now that we are no longer servants of sin. We are sons in the house, and we have power over sin. Sons of the false spiritual father, they are under sin's power, are they not?

He that is of God, he hears God's words. Now you hear them not because you're not of God. What are my ears attuned to? You know, the saddest thing, I think, is when we come to Christ, and we're spiritual sons, but we still end up listening to the words of the false father, living with the deeds and characteristics of darkness, and our relationship with our one and true father, we try and still have it on the level of servant-master relationship.

If I do really good, he'll be pleased. He that is of God hears God's words. Have you heard God's words? Have you heard, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that if you would believe in him, you can be given everlasting life, and be gifted to you, you will not perish.

Have you believed his word that you've heard, that there is therefore now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus? Do you believe that sin is dead? How shall we continue in sin?

Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid we have died to sin. Do you believe that? He that is of God hears God's word. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word.

If they don't hear his word, they can't have what? Faith. So they have unbelief. If they reject God's word, they reject the God of the word, and the two can't be separated.

You can't separate the two. But who does Jesus say hears God's word? He that hears God's word is the one who is of God. A true follower.

A true follower of God is one who hears God's word. A true follower knows God. He's of God. And hears God. Why? Because he's his seed. Because he is his spiritual seed.

Because he is one of the light. Psalm 97, 11. Light is sown for the righteous. That awesome, that tie-in. Seed being sown. Light is sown for the righteous.

And gladness for the upright in heart. You know, we talked about the closer you get to the light, sometimes the greater the darkness seems to be exposed in your own life. But can I ask you, have you ever come into the light, even with the most horrible of situations?

You've been walking with your eyes closed. You've been stumbling around. You're filthy. You have not come into the light to be cleansed in so long. You've come to the light. Have you ever come to the light and not been glad about it?

Man, I should have never gone to Jesus about that one. Has that ever happened to you? No. Never. If we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with him and with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin.

Light is sown for the righteous. Gladness for the upright in heart. My heart's not upright. But when I come into the light, you know what I find out? His heart is righteous.

His heart is upright. And he's willing to give it to me and to take away mine. I do not come into the light to show that, well, I finally arrived. Took long enough, Lord.

No, I come into the light to find, oh, Lord, you're still good. You still accept me. You're still willing to wash and cleanse me. A true follower.

He receives the true light of the true word. A true witness. A true way. A true work. True freedom. And a true father.

A true follower. What does he do? He continues in the light of the true word. He that is of God hears God's word. He continues to walk in the truth of the light. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.

We're not going to be in the light if we're not in the word, guys. It's just kind of how it goes. See, it's the word of God that speaks to me in a way that nobody else has gone. Listen, Jesus is speaking to these Pharisees the way nobody's ever spoken to them.

Jesus spoke to this woman caught in adultery the way nobody ever spoke to her. Jesus speaks to sinners the way nobody ever spoke to them. You know, Wednesday night, Aaron was teaching in Ephesians.

And he made this statement that's just been stuck with me. He's talking about the edification of the body. And he's like, there's nowhere else in the world, there's no other group of people, that you can experience what you experience in the body of Christ.

There's nowhere else you're going to be loved, accepted, where you can grow and be edified. There's no other place. And I was like, huh, I never really thought of that. I'm just so used to this. This is my life.

This is where I've grown up, where I am, where I want to be. And it's so true. I mean, I bet there's some good Elks clubs out there. You know? I bet there's a couple of YMCAs that have good pools.

Craft night. But man, where can you come? And the light of life will shine into your heart. And it'll expose everything. Everything. And everybody that's there goes, ah, we love you.

Come to the light. Be clean. Be washed. And the Jews then they answered. Unfortunately, they're responding to the light as those that love darkness, to those that walk in darkness.

And they said unto him, say not well, did we not tell you that you're a Samaritan and you have a devil? You know you're not in a good place spiritually when you're accusing Jesus of having a devil.

And as much as we all chuckle, I don't think I've ever accused Jesus of having a devil. But I think I've probably accused at times the things in my life of being from the devil when they're of the Lord.

He's like, that's of me. That's my heart. Because I want you to be clean. Because I love you. I'm going to chase in you. Jesus, that's, be gone, Satan.

Man. Jesus, you wouldn't do that. Yeah, I would. I would tell you exactly how things are. Because I want you to come into the light. What are they accusing him of here?

What's a Samaritan? Well, Samaritan, Samaria is that area between Galilee and Judea. It's in the middle of Israel. So the Assyrians, during the displacement, the first captivity for the northern tribes of Israel, when they were in rebellion and God sent them into captivity, just as he promised, under the old covenant, the Mosaic covenant, the Mosaic.

You know, we have the Old Testament. And we think, well, Jesus fulfilled the old covenant. The Old Testament, what we call it in our Bible, is not the old covenant. The old covenant refers to the Mosaic covenant.

A covenant of, not of relationship, but one of standing. Of Israel standing in blessing or not. And essentially, I could make a covenant with you. And I could say, I'm going to give you all of, I don't know, I'll give you all this property.

But here are the conditions for you to possess it. Now, it can be yours. Absolutely, 100%. But until you fulfill the conditions of possessing, you don't get to go in and possess it until then.

That could be, we do that in a will. Maybe you have to be so old. Someone dies and they leave their fortune to their child. But they must be 21 or whatever before they come and possess it. God has promised an everlasting, unbreakable covenant to Israel.

That the land is theirs. The promises are theirs. But to possess them, they have to be walking according to the conditional covenant of the Old Testament.

Or the old Mosaic covenant. Is there any way to fulfill the Mosaic covenant? Is there any way today to fulfill the old covenant that they might come into possession of all that God has for them?

Well, there's only one way. It's the same way that we enter into the new covenant. Christ has fulfilled the old covenant. They can enter into all of those promises for them.

For the land. For blessing. And that's when Jesus will come and he will return. And they'll say, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Because he will chasten them. Whom he loves, he chastens. A seven-year period of chastening.

In which he will turn Israel nationally back to him. And they will realize, he's our Messiah. And then they will enter in. To the land. And that's what we call the thousand-year reign. Where Christ will rule and reign from Israel.

With a nation that is now walking in all of the promises that they were given. Anyway, that was not in the notes. Just in my head. Samaritans were those that Assyria would, they would go into a land and they would conquer it.

And they would take out the people who lived there. And they would bring in people who were from another country. Right? They'd swap them. So they didn't have patriotism. Right? They'd take the Americans and they'd move them to France. And the French, they'd move them to America.

Right? And it would kind of like, you were no longer in your homeland. You know, it's very different for us. We're not agrarian. We don't live based on did the harvest come in or not.

But if you had a piece of property that was there for generations that your life depended upon year after year, you would be strongly attached to that. In a different way than we are even to our nation. So they brought in these people and they called them Samaritans.

And they were those who mixed with some of the Jews that were there. And they took upon them the belief system in part of Israel. Of the Mosaic covenant.

Of the law. But not fully. And so they were impure genetically, essentially. So the Jews had nothing to do with them. That's why the parable of the good Samaritan is so instructive.

Because you have a Jew helping a Samaritan. So when Jesus goes through Samaria in John 4 and he meets the woman at the well, Jesus is talking to a Samaritan. She's blown away by that. Excuse me.

Because a Jewish man would hardly talk to a woman in public. Let alone a Samaritan woman. So they're accusing Jesus of two things. You have an impure genetic heritage. And you have an impure spiritual heritage.

Because you have a devil. Why did that matter? Well, because under the Levitical system, a priest could not serve if they were blemished.

They could not serve. It specifically says in Leviticus, they could not serve in the bread of the tabernacle. Jesus. He's the bread of life. Jesus tabernacled among us.

And they're saying, you're not fit. You couldn't be who you say you are. You're impure. And Jesus answers them here. And he says, I have not a devil. But I honor my father.

And you dishonor me. I love it. He doesn't argue. He doesn't go through the different points of why you should believe I'm the Messiah. He just tells the truth. Guys, we have the truth. We can go with the authority of God's word.

And if someone says to you, well, give me proof. Give me proof that God exists. I don't see any proof. You can say, no, it's not that you don't see proof. In fact, God's word declares that everyone is without excuse.

It's just that you won't believe. Oh, no, that's not it. There's just no proof. No, you're just a liar like everybody else. Now, you probably shouldn't, you know, you just meet someone. They say, is there a God? And you start calling him a liar.

You might want to, like, build the relationship there. But for the people who declare that, no, I won't believe God unless I have proof. There is proof. There's proof in your heart. And it's not that there's not proof that you won't believe it.

Jesus says, I have not a devil. I honor my father and you dishonor me. And I seek not my own glory. There is one that seeks and judges. You see, the devil doesn't honor the father. The devil doesn't honor the son.

The devil doesn't seek to glorify the father or the son. And Jesus is saying, I'm honoring my father. If you are going to honor the father, you have to honor who? The son. He makes a statement here.

There is one that seeks and judges. Who's the one seeking and judges? What is he seeking? And what is he judging? They that worship the father must worship him in spirit and in truth.

For the father seeks such to worship him. The father is seeking. There's one that's seeking. What is he seeking? He's seeking those worthy, spiritually worthy to worship him.

Who are those who are spiritually worthy if the Pharisees aren't? If the Jews, the sons of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob aren't, who's worthy? Who is he judging? Who does he judge worthy?

Luke 19, 10. For the son of man has come to seek and to save. You could put in there to judge righteous that which was lost. He says, I don't seek my own glory.

I'm seeking the glory of the father. And there is one, the father he seeks and judges. And what he's seeking? Seeking sinners. He's seeking those who will come to the light.

He's seeking those that he can judge righteous. To be judged righteous, you must first allow him to judge you a sinner. You must first be willing.

Truly, truly, I say unto you, if a man keep my saying, in the Greek it's logos. If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death. Remember we saw earlier in verse 31, Jesus said, if you continue in my word, if you continue in my logos, you are my disciples indeed.

If you continue in and keep my saying, he will never see death. Jesus is illuminating the true way to life. The true way to life is by the true son and his true words.

If a man will keep my saying. The word keep is to hold firmly, to observe, to guard. If a man will hold firmly, will observe, will guard my saying, he shall never see death.

I am come that they might have life. John 10, 10. They might have it more abundantly. What is this word? What is this word that we must hold to? What is this logos that must be held firmly to, that must be observed so that you and I can have life?

Well, earlier in John 8, where we read that Jesus says, I am the light of the world. He that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. How do we do that? In verse 24, I said, therefore, unto you that you shall die in your sins.

For if you believe not that I am, you shall die in your sins. What is the word? Jesus is the one who keeps us from the dark, from death, and from sin.

He is the I am. He is the one that if we would keep his words, if we would guard his word, if we observe his word as the source of life, then what happens?

The word of life then, it illuminates what? That we're sinners in need of a savior. We must guard the word of light as the source of life because the word of life illuminates us sinners in need of a savior.

Only when God has illuminated the sinner do we then see the savior. You're never going to see the savior. People will never see the savior unless they first see, I need a savior.

I'm a sinner. I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it is the power of God unto salvation. How do we guard it? How do we guard the word? How do we guard the word that comes into our life, exposes us as sinners, reveals to us the savior?

How do I guard that word? How do I hold firmly to it? How do I observe it? Do I have to become a Pharisee? Do I have to go through a class in a system? I really, I want to partake of that.

I don't want to see death. How do I do this? Hebrews 11, six, but without faith, it is impossible to please him for he that comes to God must believe that he is, that he's a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

It is by faith that we obediently observe the word of light. And when we do, we will never see death. Why? Because death is dark and light and dark will never come together.

Death is something that we will not see because it can't abide the light. He's now, wait a minute. They're going to go on here to tell him that Abraham's dead.

The prophets are dead. I know a lot of people who've died in Christ, but are they? Aren't they really dead? Are the prophets dead? Is Abraham dead?

Not according to what Jesus is talking about. They're not dead to their spiritual father. As spiritual sons, they will never see spiritual death. They will never have to be in the dark.

The Jews said unto him in verse 52, now we know you have a devil because Abraham is dead and the prophets.

And you say, if a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death. Jesus, they died. No, they didn't. Absolutely not. They died unto sin. And because of sin, they passed from this world and into life.

Be careful of what voices you allow to speak influence into your life. This idea of Jesus having a devil, it's crazy. Who's going to believe it? It comes back.

In John 10, verse 20, many of them said, he has a devil and he's mad. Why are you listening to him? They don't have any proof. They just heard that because somebody who was influential in their life was speaking that voice.

Be careful what voices you allow to speak influence into your life. Today's society lives in one big echo chamber. Modern technology, algorithms, and AI allow people to hear only what affirms them.

Whether right or wrong, true or false. People today do not want to be challenged with ideas outside of their own narrative. They don't want to. Be careful of the voices.

You see, walking in the light is not about avoiding the darkness. Okay, I won't let any voice speak into me except... No, no, no. Walking in the light is being 100% assured of the source of light.

Right? If I know I've got my never-ending, everlasting flashlight, and I have to go hike three miles to get home in the dark, in the pitch black forest, I'm good.

I'm going. If I know my flashlight gives out about after 20 minutes, it doesn't matter how bright it is. It doesn't matter how good it seems to be. It doesn't matter how flashy it is.

Right? Walking in the light is not about fleeing the darkness. It's being 100% assured of our source. When I know my source, when I know my source overcomes the darkness, it never ends.

What do I do? Run into the darkness. I'm not afraid of the dark. I can't wait to go into the dark, especially when you know that people are dying in the dark. Especially when you know there's people you love that are in the dark.

And all you got to do is find them and shine the light. And they may run, they may run deeper into the dark. But there will be those that will respond and say, thank you so much for shining that light.

Do you know your sources are light? Or are you only interested in voices that reinforce and reaffirm what you want to hear? 2 Timothy 4.3, Paul warns Timothy about these times that we live in.

The time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine. They don't want that light shining in their face anymore. But after their own lusts, their own desires, shall they heap to themselves teachers having itching ears.

It means to pile on one after another, after another, after another. Keep speaking this to me. Keep speaking that, what I want to hear. People will heap up voices of affirmation and attempt to drown out the voice of truth.

Because the truth targets our unbelief. The truth goes right to the heart of the issue. And it's unbelief. The true word, it challenges. It challenges us.

It challenges us as true followers to conform to the true source of life. Continually it's doing this. Conform, conform to this true source of life.

Again, is it something that's hard and horrible and terrible? No. It's gladness. It's wonderful to come into the light. Paul continues to say, or he says in 2 Timothy 3, I'm sorry.

That was 2 Timothy 4. He says to Timothy, continue in the things, verse 14, which you have learned and have been assured of. Knowing of whom you've learned them.

You see, if the Pharisees would not accept the voices of the lesser lights of Abraham and the prophets, they're not going to accept the voice of the greater light of the sun.

The prophets and Abraham and Moses, they all spoke of Jesus. Acts 10.43 says, To him, Jesus, give all the prophets witness.

That through his name, whosoever believes in him shall receive remission of sins. The Pharisees, they didn't accept the lesser lights. They're not going to receive the greater light.

What are the voices speaking to our lives? Are we passing them off because, well, that's just a brother who said that. That's just a sister who said that.

I know, I know where they're coming from. I know, as Paul says, you know my manner of entering in among you, my life and how I've lived among you. I know who they are. I know their character, their nature, their life, how I've lived among them.

But they're not saying what I want to hear. And since it's not directly the voice of God speaking to me, I'll just pass it off. If I'm not going to respond to the lesser lights, if I'm not going to respond to the greater light shining on my face and my heart.

Jesus is the greater light. Jesus is the greater life. Verse 54, And Jesus answered, If I honor myself, my honor is nothing.

It's kind of a backdoor way of saying, guys, I'd be like you. Your honor is nothing. Why? Because I won't receive the honor from God. You can have God's honor.

God can, God will honor you. Isn't that ridiculous? That God will honor us? He will honor us as those who accept his love for sinners.

He will. He will not honor you as someone who declares your own righteousness. Who says, I can do it on my own. There's no honor for that person. But there's honor. There's honor for those who accept that God has come to save sinners.

It is my father that honors me, of whom you say that he is your God. They said they were of the light, but they walked in the dark. The Pharisees here, they're doing to Jesus, they're doing exactly what they accused of Jesus.

They had no substance to back up what they said. They're saying, he's our God. God is our father. He says, no, he's not. You're doing exactly what you're accusing me of.

There's no substance behind it. They said they were of the light, but they walked in darkness. In Matthew 15, Jesus cautions his disciples. And he says to them, every plant which my heavenly father has not planted shall be rooted up.

Speaking of the Pharisees, let them alone. They be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into a ditch.

They said they were of light, but they walked in the dark. Leave him alone. You can't force him. You can't drag him. You know, Jesus is so long suffering.

The idea here where he says, leave them alone, it's because the disciples come and they say, do you not, you know, you've offended them with what you've said. So just leave them alone. Let the word do its work.

It's not leave them alone and don't ever engage them again. Jesus continued to engage the Pharisees. Continued to. And I think of when the leper comes to him and he's cleansed. He says, go and show the priests these things.

Because there was the ceremony for cleansing of the leper in the old covenant. And it would have never happened because lepers were never cleansed. You could not be cleansed.

There was no way to heal you until Jesus comes. And they go and they have this beautiful ceremony that shows a picture of Jesus. You would take a dove and you'd sacrifice it over running water.

Then you'd take the blood from that dove and put it on a live dove and you'd let it go free. As a ceremony for the cleansing of the leper. Jesus wasn't done with the Pharisees.

He continued again and again to show them the light. But you've not known me. You've not known him, verse 55. You have not known him, but I know him.

And if I should say I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you. What does that mean? Well, they're sons of the devil because he is a liar and speaks it. Jesus says, I can't but speak who I am.

A true spiritual son cannot deny his true spiritual father. I can't. I'd be like unto you. I'd be a son of the devil and I'm not. I'm the son of God. I'm a spiritual son of my spiritual father who is God.

And I cannot deny that. You see, I know him and I keep his sayings. True life versus false life. Jesus said, if a man keep my sayings, he shall never see death.

But these men, they are keeping the sayings of death. The sayings of the devil. The father of life, he's known by what? True words, true father, and true son.

True life is known by true words, true father, and true son. How do we know the false life? False words, false father, false sons. And what do they speak?

Unbelief. They speak the words of their father. How do you know? How do you know which father you're of? How do you know which words you're listening to? Okay, I gotta be really careful what I hear. Remember we talked about in the beginning, how do we process our circumstances?

How do we understand the world around us? Do I bring my circumstances to understand the Bible? Say, oh, I need to try and match up the scripture with my circumstances. No, I come to the word and I say, God, I want to understand.

Understand what's going on in here as well as around here. How do you know which you're of? You come to the word. You keep the word. You guard the word. You hold the word. And your father Abraham, verse 56, rejoiced to see my day.

And he saw it and was glad. How do you know which father you're of? Like Abraham, the true words, the true life, and the true father will be followed by true faith.

Abraham followed by faith. He followed the true words, the true father, and the true life. He's a true son. How do you know what you're of? Man, you respond by faith.

Not in unbelief. The contrast here, light, dark, life, death. It all hinges on this. Will I believe? The words that Jesus says. You and I, I believe, all here have entered into that life.

We've believed that. We've received that. And we're in the light. The danger for us is that like the Pharisees, we begin to anchor our standing with God in something other than our spiritual father.

Other than the son. We anchor our standing with God in something else. You know what happens when we do that? We act pharisaical. Because I'm only, look it, I'm only going to anchor myself in something I can do.

Right? Oh, you know, if that person did this, this, this, and this, they too could be righteous. Oh, they're not doing very good. They're not walking. They're not a believer. They're in the flesh because they're not doing my standard which I can keep.

Right? Or we allow the enemy to impose a standard on us that we can't keep. That's condemnation. Now I can't keep it. Now I'm under a burden. Now how am I going to do this?

God's not pleased with me. No, like Abraham, as a true follower, we follow by faith. This only would I learn of you, says Paul in Galatians 3. Did you receive the spirit by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith?

How were you born again? By keeping a law? Or by faith? Even as Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness. Know you, therefore, that we which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.

We didn't come by a law. By faith, Abraham believed and rejoiced. As Jesus says here, he saw my day and was glad. He rejoiced in the promised day of the Messiah.

The day when Jesus would come and say, I am the light of the world. He that follows me will not walk in darkness, but have the light of life. Abraham believed that day was coming. He rejoiced in it.

The Jews respond and said unto him, you're not yet 50 years old. Have you seen Abraham? 50 was the age of retirement from the Levitical service.

You had to be 30 to enter in, 50 to exit. And Jesus is about what? 30. When he starts his ministry as our high priest under a better covenant.

They said, you're not yet 50. You're only in the beginning of your career. Do you know how old we are? Do you know how long we've been doing this? How long we've been in this system? You're going to come and tell me. I've been going to this church and faithfully giving to it.

Our family has been for generations. We have followed this system. And you in just a moment of saying, well, I believe in Jesus. Everything's changed for you. And my system's not valid. Who do you think you are?

Age does not necessarily and unfortunately lead to wisdom or to righteousness. Unfortunately. Proverbs 16.31 says, the gray head is a crown of glory.

Praise God. If it be found in the way of righteousness. You know, when Jesus was talking with the men who came, who dragged the woman caught in adultery.

He spoke to them. It says he stood up and he said to them, let him who is without sin cast the first stone. It says they were convicted in their hearts. And he who was the oldest went first all the way to the youngest.

An old conscience, we said, should be a wiser one. It responded quicker. But it left Jesus sooner. Unfortunately. The gray head is a crown of glory if it be found in the way of righteousness.

What is the issue at hand here? It's not whether Jesus had seen Abraham with physical eyes or not. But that the Pharisees would not see Jesus with spiritual eyes. That's the issue.

Unlike Abraham, who did see with spiritual eyes, the Pharisees would not. Jesus as the I am, one of his I am statements. Except you believe that I am.

Before Abraham was, I am. Jesus as the I am was not only with Abraham. He was before Abraham. He was after Abraham and he shall also be long after these Pharisees fade into darkness.

Jesus will still be there. Long after the lies and the unbelief. Whatever the arguments are and whatever the hypocrisy. Whatever the false claims of you've got a devil and you're a Samaritan.

Whatever. Long afterwards, Jesus will still be the I am. He's still there. I am the alpha and the omega. The beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, which was, and which is to come.

The almighty. Abraham believed the I am. Abraham had a true legacy. A true legacy as a son of faith.

A true legacy of life. True life. True life leads to a true and lasting legacy of light. You and I have entered into true life if we've believed.

You and I have a lasting legacy now that will not fade because Jesus won't fade. Because Jesus as the light of the world has gone into the heavens to be the light for eternity. Our light won't fade.

Our flashlight's never going to run out. And then they took up stones to cast at him. And Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple going through the midst of them.

So passed by. The last time stones were mentioned was in verse 7, as we just quoted. When Jesus says, let him who's without sin cast the first stone.

And now they pick up stones to stone him. What are they essentially saying? Jesus, you're the sinner. You're the sinner. How sad when those in darkness, they seek to elevate not only the darkness, but they seek to then extinguish the light.

When they say, no, no, no, you're the sinner. You must be. You're exposing my sin. Oh, that's just light. But then they seek to extinguish the light altogether.

And just a funny little thought. Remember we looked at this picture? That's the court of the women, right? That's a pretty nice and neat and tidy place.

I mean, that's just a rendering. But where were the stones? Did they keep piles laying around just in case? You know? They say, hey, kids, it's time for church.

Grab your stones. We don't know how the message is going to go. They picked up stones. I think they picked up the same stones. I think they picked up the same stones they probably dropped.

That they brought with them to stone the woman. Jesus essentially saying, I'll take it. I'll take it. She goes free. I'll take it. And look at the wording here.

And Jesus hid himself. What a sad statement. Again, the Feast of Tabernacles have just ended. The lamps that would have lit up the whole of Jerusalem have been put out.

Jesus is doing what? He's exiting the temple. The light of the world is hiding himself. Men don't light a candle and put it under a bushel.

But they put it where it would give light to the whole house. He went out. Going through the midst of them and so passed by. The light of the world is exiting. It's passing by as they let him go.

How sad. When we seek to extinguish the light. However, did they put out the light? No. Darkness has no power over light.

In John 10, 18, Jesus says, No man takes my life from me. No one's putting out this light. But I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down. And I have power to take it up.

And this commandment have I received of my Father. Jesus, the light of the world, went down into darkness to overcome darkness. Couldn't hold him. Jesus, the light of life, went into death to overcome death.

It couldn't hold him. Philippians 2, you all know this. In verse 8, And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself. Became obedient unto death.

Even the death of the cross. You know, there was something worse than stoning. It was crucifixion. Wherefore, God has highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name.

That light didn't stay in the dark. That light overcame the dark. And now is highly exalted. Wherefore, my beloved, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

For it is God which works in you to will and to do of his good pleasure. Jesus went into the dark for us so that he might now shine his highly exalted and overcoming life in and through us.

Work out your own salvation. Fear and trembling? Like, because I'm going to get in trouble? Or he's going to put out the light? Or, no. Awe. Awe that God would give his light to me.

That I can be used by God to shine the light. But trembling? Yes, tremble. Tremble before the reality that God loves me. He's accepted me. I think the trembling is because the tears we cry.

Because we realize that God has forgiven us of our sins. That you, God works in you to will and do of his good pleasure.

That you, you may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God. Without rebuke. Is that because you're perfect? No. It's because that's what the light does.

As a son of God, the light shines through us. It doesn't harm. It doesn't accuse. It doesn't condemn. It doesn't rebuke. Except to point out the fact that sinners need a savior.

In the midst of a crooked and perverse nation. Are we in a crooked and perverse nation? Oh, yeah. Not only do they want to elevate the darkness, they want to extinguish the light. What are we going to do?

We're going to go out there and we're going to get them with that light. You ever try to beat someone over the head with light? It doesn't work. Keep flicking the lights on. Take that. Is the light heavy?

Is the light hard? Is the light harsh? Not the light of life. Among whom you shine as lights in the world. Holding forth the word of light.

What's your part? What's my part? Just hold it forth. Just let it shine. What is the legacy of your life? The legacy of our lives will be determined not by our natural fathers, but by our spiritual fathers.

It will not be determined by how we act as those who are of a certain sect, system, family, religion, organization.

It will be determined by how we let the light of life shine in and through our lives. By faith that the spirit of God may work in our lives. Your eternal legacy is known by your relationship to light.

The eternal and spiritual legacy that we have is known by our relationship to the witness of light, the way of light, the work of light, the word of light, the son of light, and the father of light.

And Jesus spake unto them again and said, I am the light of the world. He that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. Fear and tremble out of awe that God would give to you the light of life if you'll just follow him.

You will have that life and you'll have that light. Sons of light are true followers of the light and they live in the freedom of the light because they're freed from the darkness of sin.

You see, in Christ, you and I have a life and we have a legacy. It's one of light. It's one of truth. It's one of authority. You know, we read in 2 Timothy there where Paul said to continue in the things which you've learned and who you've been assured of.

Knowing of whom you learned them. You need to continue in the things that you've learned. You need to be assured of who you've heard them. And I don't mean me. So I want to end here.

I'm just going to read some scripture. Most of it is what we've already read over a bunch of chapters in John of Jesus' words. You need to know of who you've heard these words. You need to know the word that you're to hold to.

That you're to guard. That you're to observe. And you need to know the life and the legacy that you have now. I just want you to close your eyes. I'm just going to read a bunch of scriptures without the reference.

Continue. Continue. Continue. The things which you've heard and learned and been assured of. Know of whom you've learned them. Because Jesus has answered and he said to them, And this is the work of God.

That you believe on him whom he has sent. I said therefore unto you that you shall die in your sins. For if you believe not that I am, you shall die in your sins.

Truly, truly, I say unto you, He that hears my word and believes on him that sent me, he has everlasting life. He shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death until life.

For God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him, he should not perish, but have everlasting life.

That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ. That we might receive the promise of the spirit through faith. I, Jesus, have sent my messenger to testify unto you these things in the churches.

I am the root and the offspring of David and the bright and morning star. And the spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him who hears say, Come.

He which testifies these things says, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, Maranatha, come, Lord, Jesus.

You know, I hope Jesus is the anthem of your heart. And I know most of you. And I hope that you have come into the light. But I know for myself, there's times where I still live like him in the dark.

And if you find yourself in that place, I just want to encourage you. The Father's heart for you is, My son who was lost is found. My son who is dead is alive.

He's clothed you in robes of righteousness. He's not killed the fatted calf for you. His own son gave his life for you. Don't live as a servant of sin.

Don't live in the dark. Walk in the light. And if you've been walking around with your eyes closed, you need help opening them. Man, I'd love to pray with you. I'd love to talk with you. Jesus loves you.

Amen. Amen. Now may the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make his face to shine upon you. The Lord be gracious unto you. The Lord lift up the light of his countenance upon you.

And through that, may he give you peace. Walk in the light, church. God bless you. Amen.

Amen. Amen.

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