UNDERSTANDING JESUS AS GOD
John 8:48-59
THE WAY TO SALVATION
V:48 The Jews answered him, "Aren't we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?"
49 "I am not possessed by a demon," said Jesus, "but I honor my Father and you dishonor me. 50 I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge. 51 I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death."
A. Jesus was responding to the religious leaders who refused to believe He
was the long-awaited Messiah who came down from the Father.
1. Those who want to accuse you will claim everything you say is a lie.
2. Your accusers will say the most defiled things about you.
3. The religious leaders consider Jesus a threat because He drew large
crowds and exposed their hypocrisy.
B. The religious leaders were eyewitnesses to the miracles of Jesus
but claimed they were done under the influence of the devil.
1. The Jews hated the Samaritans, so they claimed He was a Samaritan
knowing He was from Galilee.
b. To the Jews a Samaritan was unworthy of any credit.
c. They consider Jesus deranged because He spoke the Word of God
and did the work of God.
2. There are times when you have to defend yourself and tell people who
you are and claim God as your Father.
a. Jesus honored the Father, which a demon would never do.
b. The religious leaders dishonored the Father by their hatred of Jesus.
3. Jesus claimed His deity by claiming the Father seeks His glory.
4. Jesus claim Himself as the way to salvation through obedience
to His Word.
IN DEFENSE OF THE GOSPEL
V:52 At this the Jews exclaimed, "Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that if anyone keeps your word, he will never taste death. 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?"
A. The religious leaders were focused on the physical aspects of life.
1. Jesus spoke of the spiritual and eternal aspects of life
which His accusers could not understand.
2. You can point to the place where the dead body is buried,
but the has no place on earth.
3. The spirit returns to the Lord.
B. The religious leaders pick which portion of the Old Testament they want
to believe.
1. They had the complete Old Testament 300 years before the birth
of Jesus.
2. Had they read Genesis chapter 1, they would have known that the
body has a spirit and a soul.
3. Had they read Ecclesiastics 12:7, they would have known that the
body returns to dust and the spirit returns to the Father.
4. When we read the Bible to justify our position, we can always find
scripture to justify it out of context.
To understand the religious conflict that Jesus dealt with, you must understand the players. ( from the Bible Journey)
The High Priests were both secular and religious leaders of the Jewish community. There was sometimes more than one ‘high priest’ or ‘chief priest’ (Greek, ‘archiereus’ meaning ‘arch-priest’). Annas and Caiaphas, for example, are both mentioned in the gospels (see Luke 3:2 & Matthew 26:14). Annas was appointed high priest in 6AD, and Caiaphas was appointed from 15 to 36AD.
Pharisees were the radical thinkers of their day, moving on beyond the written Law of Moses and re-interpreting 'traditional' Judaism. They believed not only in the immortality of the soul (the ongoing life of an individual after death), but also in the transmigration of souls ('re-incarnation').
Sadducees, on the other hand, were extremely conservative in their religious views. They believed only in the written Law of Moses (the 'Torah' contained in the first five books of the Jewish Scriptures) and rejected any later 'customs' or oral traditions. So they did not believe in any form of life after death and were in continuous conflict with the Pharisees.
C. The first problem with religious leaders of Jesus time was the High
Priests were not from the Levite tribe chosen by God. During the 2 BC
the High Priest became a political position chosen by kings. The Bible
became a tool of judgment mixed with Jewish tradition.
1. The religious leaders lack spiritual insight because they listen to their
traditions, rather than God. Political power and prestige became
a substitute for the living God.
2. Jesus was a problem to the religious leaders because He was a public
figure who spoke with authority and influenced many to become
disciples.
3. There are many voices outside the church. We must be careful that
the voice we listen to is the Bible.
THE GLORY OF JESUS
V:54 Jesus replied, "If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. 55 Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and keep his word. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad."
A. Jesus did not glorify Himself, He left that to the Father.
1. The Father’s glory was the work of some in belief and
the disbelief of His accusers.
B. Jesus claimed His knowledge of the Father and the lack of
knowledge of His accusers.
1. Jesus claimed His eternity.
2. He existed before Abraham.
3. He revealed Himself to Abraham. Genesis 18:16-22
THE ETERNAL EXISTENCE OF JESUS
V:57 "You are not yet fifty years old," the Jews said to him, "and you have seen Abraham!"
58 "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!" 59 At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.
A. Jesus spoke of His eternal existence which the Jews could not understand.
1. In Genesis 18, God promised Abraham that He would be the Father
of many nations.
a. At that time, Abraham had no children, and the nation of
Israel would not be formed until 400 years later.
b. Abraham believed God and was counted righteous.
B. The Jewish leaders were so protective of their position that they
became envious, jealous, and violent.
1. The truth hurts.
2. They heard the Truth from the Truth and rejected Jesus in favor of
their own beliefs.
3. Jesus's only crime was revealing the Truth.
4. The Jewish leader’s sin was rejecting the Truth.
5. After hearing the truth, the Jewish leaders wanted mob justice.
6. Their emotions brought out the worst in them.
a. Anyone who rejected their view was a traitor.
7. They taught and proclaimed the Word, but only applied it to support
their position.
8. We must be careful not to see the Word of God in our view but in
God’s Will.
9. When discussing God’s Word, check your emotions.
10. If you are not careful, your emotions can lead you away from the Truth.
Rev. M. Mitchell
Asst Pastor Of Greater Macedonia Baptist Church
5510 West Sam Houston Parkway North
Houston, Texas 77041
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