Before Abraham Was, I Am -- (Tony Merida)

here we are in John chapter 8 as we've said John is like a spiral staircase as John continues to hit some of the same themes over and over again developing them taking them up higher and that's certainly the case with with this particular text in many ways John is working out his prologue throughout the whole Gospel of John the first eighteen verses really sets up some of the the dominant themes that we continue to see and that's the case here so John 8 we're gonna look at 48 to 59 let's pray together and ask for the Lord's help as we look at this marvelous passage father thank you for your word where would we be without your word the worship the god of Revelation and not the God of our imagination thank you for revealing yourself to us for showing us who we are and showing us our need for Jesus I pray that we would fix our eyes on him now and that you would fill us with hope he would make us more like Jesus and his name we pray amen this is a continuation of the previous weeks beginning in Chapter 7 of John we've noted several times that this has taken place during the Feast of Tabernacles and if you recall in John 7 verse 1 it says that the Jews that is the Jewish leaders we're seeking to kill Jesus and here we are now at the end of 8 and the Jews are seeking to kill Jesus the dialogue that we're looking at is a direct directly connected to last week's sermon last week's text as Jesus talked about real spiritual freedom there's external freedom that we enjoy in a country like ours but there's internal freedom and eternal freedom that we all need and the Jews didn't understand freedom and they didn't understand the point of Abraham and so now Jesus continues this discussion particularly about Abraham the gloves came off last week to quote Walter who preached aka Apollo Creed that the Jews were like kids at the playground who were roasting each other saying to Jesus your mom is a harlot to which Jesus responded if my mama's a harlot your daddy is the devil now of course the Jews were wrong but Jesus was right spiritually the the the evil one has blinded their eyes and you see that going on again in this text now this passage also made me think of something else that we used to do a lot at the playground we should play a game I don't think kids really play it anymore and it doesn't have a politically correct name called kill the man with the ball the rules were very simple give a man a ball and proceed to kill him if you had the ball you were you need to get rid of the ball or you need to run with the ball they are playing a game here with Jesus that's kill the man with the bold claims everybody's after him he is the target they attempt to stone him at the end of verse 59 and then again in chapter 10 verse 31 after the the Good Shepherd are in the middle of Good Shepherd discourse they try to stone him again John says so why all the conflict well it's important to notice I think just the escalating conflict that is happening in chapter 8 I have a little outline of the conflict for you to see it after Jesus makes this light of the world claim at 8:12 when he says I'm the light of the world whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of Life you see first the first thing that these Jews it was try to say that Jesus was contradicting himself because he was making a claim without witnesses and then they got very cynical toward Jesus making a statement about his father which they later do in verse 51 41 they deny what Jesus says yeah we looked at that last week in 833 where they said we have never been to slaved in slave to anyone they insult Jesus in 848 saying that you're a Samaritan and you have a demon there very sarcastic in verse 53 and it all ends in violence and so what you see in chapter 8 is are really two ideas you see that the light is getting brighter and brighter and brighter with each claim that Jesus is making that though that the claim of 8:58 before Abraham as I am is sort of like the climactic claim in this discourse so the lights getting brighter and brighter and brighter and the darkness is getting deeper and deeper and deeper and deeper which culminates in we want to kill him let's tone him so the Son of God has come into the world primarily to save it but they want to reject him they want to kill him why well we know theologically John teaches us actually that the darkness hates the light the darkness wants to kill the light this is no playground here this is a cosmic battleground and the Pharisees though are not the only ones who are in the dark right it's anyone who's not following the light the darkness of unbelief that they are they are displaying can be found in either self-righteous religion that doesn't want to listen to Jesus but it can also come in the form of godless secularism which is present everywhere in our Western world darkness of unbelief on display illustrated by a failure to listen to Jesus not embracing the truth of Jesus being irrational and saying that Jesus has a demon being ignorant of real spiritual things we see that all over the world it reminds us that we are in a war my friends darkness and light colliding since the sin of our first parents Adam and Eve who were tempted by the serpent then you we read of constant opposition toward God and his servants and here God himself in the person of Jesus comes to earth and we see more darkness opposing him now it's easy for us to be lulled into sleep into thinking or not thinking about warfare and not thinking about darkness being around us but my friends there is a battle there's a battle in our hearts there's a battle in our world and the devil knows his days are numbered Revelation 12 and so he is raging because he knows his days are short now we as believers have absolute certainty of victory because Jesus has already triumphed at the cross and in his resurrection but this battle rages on and the evil one is still doing what we see in this chapter namely tempting people to doubt the claims of Jesus tempting people to deny the claims of Jesus tempting people to not listen to Jesus to not be interested in Jesus to be interested in other things than Jesus this is 2 Corinthians 4 Satan has blinded the minds of unbelievers it comes in very religious expressions like the Pharisees or it can come in very secular expressions like in our world the good news is Jesus Christ has come to give sight he's come to bring the light he's called us out of darkness into his marvelous light that's the big picture of chapter 8 now now what I want you to see in this particular portion for today is this big idea Jesus here is the preeminent and pre-existent Son of God and he promises eternal life to all who follow him that's what we see in this pair of this paragraph he's pre-eminent he's better than Abraham or anyone else he's preexistent before Abraham was I am and he promises eternal life to all who follow him so this one goes three-piece first the promise of Jesus verse 48 the Jews answered him are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and you have a demon I love by the way how sweet lives read that earlier you have a demon I don't think it was as sweet as Liz was reading they picked up stones to throw at him it sounded so soft and nice I'm sure it didn't sound like that and no no you read well Liz know where she went but they are insulting Jesus here they're talking trash about Jesus they call him first of all a Samaritan I mean you do have to appreciate the persistence of these religious attackers right we could give them the Salah ghen we're wrong but we're strong they just keep coming and because they can't out argue Jesus they do what a lot of people does do when they can't win an argument they attack the person you're a Samaritan they hated Samaritans Samaritans had their own way of doing religion and perhaps they were looking at Jesus's laxity in some of their religious observances the ones they made up and called him a Samaritan they called him a demon then then it's echoed again later in the past it's not the only time they call Jesus or charged Jesus were having a demon they're telling God in flesh that he is demon possessed your mom is a harlot you're no better than a Samaritan and you're demon-possessed darkness hates the light that's how they respond as we've said throughout John's Gospel this is a great pattern for us of what we should anticipate we are in those kinds of battles all the time it may not be demonstrative like we're reading here it may be more discreet and subtle but the attack of the enemy wage is on verse 49 here's how Jesus responds to that that slur he says I do not have a demon he ignores the Samaritan part altogether in the dialogues by the way you don't see Jesus always responding to everything that's said about him he quickly rejects the demon piece and then he says but I honor my father and you dishonor me so far from being demon-possessed all I do is please the father the world still says horrible things about Jesus about Christians and Christianity and what do we do well we don't see Jesus really getting in the mud and slinging it he keeps his attention on the father and that's that's our job - right our commitment is to be about the father's business and to please him he knows us and that's what ultimately matters verse 50 yet I do not seek my own glory he's worthy of glory there in John 17 that the father glorifies the son but he deflects glory here he says there is one who seeks it and he is the judge I love this is another really good lesson if you are attacked or ridiculed mocked for your faith Jesus says I live for the father's glory and ultimately he's the judge I really don't care what you say about me you can call me a Samaritan you can say I'm demon-possessed but are my father will have the last word these religious leaders thought they were the judge and Jesus reminds them you're not the judge the father's a judge and he knows all things and my friends there's great freedom when you can live like Jesus when you can not really be overly concerned with what people think to live for the father's glory alone and realize he will have the final evaluation he will have the final word they were in fact under the judgment of God they thought they were judges they thought they could assess what was truth apart from Jesus they thought they knew religion and Jesus says you're not the judge my father is the judge you're actually under the judgment of God now this text also highlights an important point as you think about the broader culture today there are many people who say that they love God but they reject Jesus well that doesn't work does it rejecting the son is rebelling against God after all I know is God the Father who sent the son and our our world is filled with this kind of you know vague God talk vague belief talk just believe in belief some of our non-christian friends often say when they're in trouble they don't ask for prayer they they say will you send good vibes my way what does that mean what's how can I send a vibe well you feel that category in your heart was something and so you don't maybe you don't want to be a prayer and it's something else but we are seeing over and over in John's Gospel everything hinges on what you do with Jesus Christ specifically it's all centered in him that's and then Jesus makes this great promise in verse 51 truly truly for real for real as Walter said I say to you if anyone keeps my word you will never see death that is a remarkable promise isn't it once again the subject of death is discussed in John we read a few weeks ago unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins you'll never see death this is obviously a relevant subject I mean this subject pops up and is reflected upon in media and culture and films the old film Forrest Gump that little guy with a simple mind was contemplated all the collected all the complexities of life like the Vietnam War in the 70s and Alabama football that evil empire speaking of the devil and he and he reflects on death at Ginny's grave before says mama always said Diane was a part of life I sure wish it wasn't for most people there's nothing more mysterious than death and there's nothing we wish were not part of life like death but here's the reality everyone dies even if you drink purified water every day eat all your meals from Whole Foods you will die with a belly full of purified water and Whole Foods I'm for eating healthy by the way I really am in for exercising all that good stuff but it's not going to prevent me from dying and that's why we need this text because we all die you see death is the evidence that sin is in the world for the wages of sin is death if you don't know if you if you doubt the reality of sin just think about death it's proof that sin is in the world we all deal with it whether you're dealing with aged parents or your own health struggles or just getting older and anticipating it that's the bad news the reality of death but the good news is there's a person who can fix it through Jesus Christ the curse of death is broken there is a way out he says here you will never see death think about that what would people give today if you could tell them you would never see death if you were to tell them to do a gazillion different things they would do them if you would skydive without a parachute you will never see death let's go you you hike Mount Everest you memorizing encyclopedia if you would eat Taco Bell every day of your life you'll never see death they would do it which is kind of the opposite of not dying but but there's nothing we can do but there's something God has done by faith in Jesus you don't have to see death that is eternal death you you will still die but he's talking about eternal life here the Jews reiterate what Jesus says in verse 52 they said to him now we know you have a demon Abraham died as did the prophets yet you say if anyone keeps my word he will never taste death Jesus they recognized it setting himself apart from every other spiritual leader in Judaism including Abraham you will never taste death you will never see death if you keep his word you see my friends the worst thing in life is not to die it's to die without Jesus that's worse that's that's the issue for a Christian even though we grieve at death we know it's an upgrade we got we got bumped to first class I was talking to a friend last week at Crewe at NC State we were grieving among those two today I think we're team football team and my friend was telling me about a friend of his who was in his mid 70s he seemed really healthy he was reading Tim Keller's book conversations with Jesus on the couch wife goes out of the room comes back and he has a heart attack and dies now again will you grieve loss grieving is normal it is right and it is good but we don't grieve without hope as a Christian that man is having a better conversation with Jesus then he was having on the couch reading that book how can you how can you have that hope notice Jesus here is quite clear isn't he whoever keeps my word will never see death will never taste death once again in chapter 8 there's a big emphasis on the word 8:31 we looked at last week if you abide in my word you are my disciple if you abide in the word that is you're under the influence of the word you're in the sway of the word the word is dominating you the word is having its way in your heart if you abide in my you are my disciple and now here we see twice whoever keeps his word so it's more than praying a prayer it's more than attending a church service this is persevering faith this is a disciple if you are his disciple you will never see death you will never taste death whatever keeps my word and I notice again in this chapter word keeps being referred to as singular I think this is a reflection of Jesus saying the summary of all up I'm teaching whoever keeps my word often as it appears in the plural his words and that's true to say but here it's whoever keeps my word whoever takes what I'm saying takes the heart of what I'm saying believing in me because after all all his words point to him if you keep his word you'll never see death one of the practical implications of what Jesus says here for Christians is that the way we enjoy sweet fellowship with the person of Jesus is by spending time in his word later in John 15 verse 5 Jesus says if you abide in me you'll bear much fruit and then in 1570 says if you abide in my word he puts the two together because the way we abide in Jesus is by abiding in his word it's not about being a scholar this has nothing to do with higher education you can have very little education and have great fellowship in the word being the sway of the word be nourished by the word this promise you see is for everyone if anyone keeps my word this is why we go to the nation's this is why this is good news for everybody in this room because if it's it's for anyone regardless of your ethnicity your economics your experience but it's exclusive in its appropriation it's only in Jesus there is no other option now what does it mean to never see death well as I mentioned we will still die but Jesus here is speaking of eternal death and eternal life you see for the Christian physical death is the vehicle by which we get moved into the presence of Jesus in heaven here we walk by faith but one day will end in sight death provides us the opportunity to have sight to walk by sight eternal life as we noted throughout John's Gospel is both a future glory that we anticipate but it's right now a present reality that we enjoy Colossians three three and four says for you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God when Christ who is your life appears then you will also appear with him in glory you see your life is as just secure as Jesus is placed at the right hand of the Father so there's continuity in this life in the next life if we know Jesus now we're gonna get an upgrade we're gonna know him better we're gonna enjoy him more I love the quote from deal moody we've read before but I just want to read it again Moody the great evangelist says someday you'll read in the papers that DL moody of East North field is dead don't you believe a word of it at that moment I shall be more alive than I am now I shall have gone up higher that is out of this old clay tenement into a house that is immortal a body that death cannot touch that sin cannot taint and a body fashioned unto his glorious body that's good news man it's good news as Paul says in Philippians 3 that Jesus will transform our lowly body there's so much happen oh yes it's lowly body there's a good phrase for you by the way when your back is hurting and you're sore so much happen osios lowly body I just want to quote it to my friends in the gym as I walk by and all these guys are just flexing and thinking they're all that I just want to say so much happen no cos that's the only category for body in this life it's dying it's weak its frail but Jesus will transform it all things will be made new now why should you believe this stuff why should you believe that if you abide in Jesus if you keep his word you will never see death two reasons one because of who makes the promise it's not me Jesus Christ himself makes this promise the one who declares I am is behind this promise the promise is good because Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega and you should believe this promise because of what Jesus has done not just because of who he is but because of what he has done what he has done at the cross and resurrection Jesus drank the cup of wrath so we don't have to taste wrath we taste grace today so that's the promise now let's look briefly at the preeminence of Jesus verse 53 to 56 the Jewish leaders are spawned are you greater than our father Abraham who died they were expecting a know or they wanted to hear a no and we know the answer is yes he's greater than everybody he is not just a prophet of God but he is the God of the prophets Abraham was the father of Israel and Jesus is the fulfillment of all that Israel was hoping in and meant to be all their hopes are in Jesus so this is a continuation isn't it of the previous discussion from last week about who who everybody's father is are you greater than our father Abraham who died the prophets who died who do you make yourself out to be well Jesus is the divine son of God so he takes on the the likeness of his father in the first century world that's what sons did they took on the vocation of their fathers your dad was a baker you were a baker if he was a farmer you were a farmer Jesus was a carpenter's son because his father was a carpenter but more importantly he's taking on the the identity and work of his Heavenly Father all of his actions reflect the nature and character of the Father whereas the Pharisees actions reflect the nature of their spiritual father the devil he says he says in verse 54 if I glorify myself my glory is nothing it is my father who glorifies me of whom you say he is our God so again Jesus returns in this topic of glory and he deflects the glory and he's saying I know you guys basically think I'm trash but my father thinks differently my father knows who I am and that also is a good pattern for us to remember what matters at the end of the day is the father's assessment of us of his evaluation of us people will still accuse us Satan himself will accuse us bring up our past to us and we must remind him of Jesus's past and of the devil's future and our future Jesus says here my father knows me he glorifies me you guys don't but he does and you really don't know god verse 55 but you have not known him I know him if I were to say that I do not know him I would be a liar like you I mean Jesus doesn't pull any punches you have to be impressed with his boldness this is why they're playing kill the man with the ball you you don't you don't talk like that and I do know him and I keep his word why is it that they don't believe in Jesus you remember that little verse in John 7:17 if anyone's will is to do God's will he will know whether my teaching is from God you remember when we said it's not an intellectual problem for these guys it's a heart problem to spiritual problem if anyone's will is to do God's will that is you remember I said you learn what you want to learn in life if you really want to learn you have to be teachable you have to come to study the Bible they don't want to learn they're blinded in self-righteousness which is a work of the enemy Jesus finally returns to Abraham in 56 and he says your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day he saw it and was glad you see the light is getting brighter and brighter and brighter in John 8 they want to talk Abraham he says fine let's talk Abraham he says you're not even being faithful to your ancestor Abraham because Abraham rejoiced to see me he rejoiced to see my day that is he rejoiced at the the the reality that Messiah was coming jesus's incarnation and his work now jesus doesn't refer to specifics here like was there one event in which Jesus in which Abraham rejoiced to see his dad I take this more along the Hebrews 11 Abraham was looking ahead there could have been many moments in Abraham's life where he rejoiced and saw and was glad at the day of Jesus right from the very beginning when God made a covenant with Abraham there's a great promise culminating in Jesus the birth of Isaac a miraculous birth when Abraham tried to sacrifice Isaac and God provided a lamb instead there are many places in the life of Abraham where he could have looked forward and rejoiced in the day of the Messiah now there is no outrage in what Jesus says about Abraham looking forward to this messianic age the outrage comes in the fact that Jesus was claiming to be that Messiah and notice how they couldn't stomach this idea that he rejoiced to see Jesus's day in the old testement we read of the day of the Lord there's eschatological moment of Messiah coming and Messiah coming again and Jesus is essentially saying here the day of the Lord his Jesus as a day they rejoiced to see my day now those are the options really when it comes to Jesus you can rejoice in Jesus like Abraham or you can revolt against Jesus like the Pharisees and that takes us to the third piece the pre-existence of Jesus Jesus now doesn't hold back in 57 58 and 59 and now the light is shining as bright as ever in John 8 and the darkness just continues to get deeper and deeper they say you are not yet fifty years old how have you seen Abraham they're still all their interpretations are on a on a human level they're not picking up on what Jesus is saying and we read then of this climactic verse in John eight truly truly I say to you before Abraham was I am John began his gospel you remember talking about the pre-existence of Jesus in the beginning was the word and the Word was with God in the Word was God he was in the beginning with God now he's elaborating on it in a greater way Jesus always was wasn't he said when we were in John 1 but you notice that Jesus actually doesn't say before Abraham was I was which is true he preceded Abraham and everyone else but he says before Abraham was I am he's actually saying more than pre-existence he's taken the divine name of God before Abraham was I am you remember that's what the name that God revealed to Moses Exodus 3 Moses walking around sees a bush burning the leaves are still green and the berries on it but it's it's burning it's a miracle Moses God calls out to Moses and he says you got a pharaoh and tell him let all my people go and Moses like who are you what is your name do you have a card who should I say sent me and God says tell him I am Who I am since you tell them absolute reality the self-sufficient one the one who needs no food and no sleep and no air you tell them I am since you Moses like I and so he's on his mission and you recall the story I am has the last word on Pharaoh Jesus now in the midst of these lions and he says before Abraham was I am some 17 times in John's Gospel Jesus uses this construction I am this is probably the clearest most obvious statement of deity some people say Jesus never claimed to be God I don't think they've ever read John 8:58 it can't be clearer my friends John has been so concerned that we understand the person of Jesus over and over again it's not you should like some of Jesus's teachings like we often hear in the culture but not accept his deity what he keeps pressing home over and over again is his person his question is who is Jesus Christ and will you believe in him it's an often used quote but he it's hard to find a better statement in CS Lewis when Lewis said I'm trying here in mere Christianity I'm trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about him I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher but I don't accept his claim to be God now my friends Jesus never even says hey guys will you receive me as a moral teacher there's nothing like that though people still want to take that that is one thing that we must not say a man who was merely a man and said the sort of things that Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher he would either be a lunatic on the level with a man who says he is a poached egg or else he would be the devil of Hell you must make your choice either this man was and is the son of God or else a madman or something worse you can shut him up for a fool you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can followed his feet and call him Lord in God I vote for that one we fall at his feet and we call him Lord and God but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher he has not left that open to us he did not intend to now you notice it John just makes the statement he records it for us truly truly I say to you before Abraham was I am there is no exposition of that statement from John he just sort of drops it this is the mic drop in John eight from Jesus if you had a mic that's where you drop it before Abraham was I am holla at your boy like this that is a remarkable statement but the Jews knew exactly what Jesus meant we see that based on their reaction in verse 59 they did not respond casually did they they didn't say oh you do you man you do you they say let's don't they can't kill him though Jesus once again slips through the fingertips he hid himself and went out of the temple stoning was the prescribed punishment for blasphemy though intended to be carried out in a real judicial process not mob violence but that's the idea they think it's blasphemy it's not the only time they're gonna try to stone Jesus as I mentioned but Jesus would not be killed not just because he's really slick and sly and able to hide we know the theological reason don't we it was not yet his time you see there was a death planned for Jesus and stoning was not the plan there was another kind of death that was planned for Jesus and he is sovereign over that death his death would be a sacrificial atoning death you see Jesus would jesus' death would solve the problem of death by removing the source of death namely sin his death would solve the problem of death by removing the source of death namely sin he would be the sin bearing substitute he would defeat death not by escaping death but by enduring death and then render it utterly powerless by rising from the dead never to die again you see my friends Abraham father Abraham did not have to put his son to death Isaac was spared but Paul reminds us he did not spare his own son the Father in heaven but gave him up for us all how will he not with him graciously give us all things Jesus would die a death and he would die a death we deserve to die in order that you and I may not see or taste death what a savior Valley a vision it's beautiful prayer here are gross comforts that is on earth more burden than benefit there in heaven is joy without sorrow comfort without suffering love without inconstancy rests without weariness give me to know that heaven is all love where the eye affects the heart and the continual viewing of thy beauty keeps the soul in continual transports of delight give me to know that heaven is all peace where error in Pride and rebellion passion raised no head give me to know that heaven is all joy the end of believing fasting praying mourning humbling watching fearing repining and lead me to as soon that's the view that the saints take of their death all of all peace all joy all in Jesus and only in Jesus my friends don't revolt against Jesus but rather rejoice in him don't throw stones at him but but bow and glad submission to him before Abraham was I am let's pray together father we thank you for your word as we marvel at the Son of God the one who is preeminent and pre-existent who promises eternal life all who follow him thank you for the good news as we prepare our hearts for the table we are reminded as we taste this bread as we taste this cup we will never taste death because Jesus drank the cup for us drank the cup of wrath that we may drink this cup of salvation increase our love and gratitude for the Lord Jesus in this ordinance we pray in Jesus name

Channel: Imago Dei Church

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Length: 36min 59sec (2219 seconds)

Published: Sun Oct 21 2018