INTERNET BIBLE STUDIES

John - Lesson 15 - John Chapter 8:31-59

e-mail: davidparham@internetbible.net

Memory verse for this week: Phil 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Introduction: Last week we saw Jesus teaching a great lesson to the men who brought the woman taken in the act of adultery to the Lord. They were always looking for a way to find fault in Jesus, and they told Jesus that Moses said under the law that the woman should be stoned to death, but what do you say. Jesus told them that the one without sin should cast the first stone and then stooped and wrote in the ground. Whatever he wrote made the men put down their rocks one by one and walk away. Jesus was not condoning sin in anyway, but was teaching a great lesson in judgement. We are to use judgement every day and discern right from wrong. But justice and vengeance comes from God. In the end, Jesus told the woman to go and sin no more.

John 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

What a great truth that Jesus reveals to us in these verses. If we truly believe in the Lord, and follow the commandments of God, God will reveal total truth to us and we will be set free from the bondage of sin. And coming to the truth means coming to grip with our sinful and lost condition before a Holy and Righteous God, repenting of our sins, and accepting Jesus Christ as our Personal Savior. When we gain this truth, we are truly free. The world is constantly seeking freedom. Our forefathers in America came to this land seeking a place to be free. But no man or woman will ever be truly free without Jesus as their Savior. There is a void in our heart that no man or possession can fill. But Jesus can fill us with His Joy, and it is a result of being free from the bondage of sin.

John 8:33 They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?

These self-righteous Jews could not believe that they were in bondage to any man. They were born of Abraham’s seed, and in their mind, they were the special people of God. And Israel truly was the chosen nation of God. But by obeying the traditions of man rather than the commands of God, they were lost and far from God. Our heritage may make us something special on paper or in someone’s long genealogy list, but without Jesus we are simply aliens from God. The first prayer we must pray to God is to be merciful to us, a sinner far from the Lord.

John 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

Jesus uses present tense in verse 34. He is saying that is we abide in sin we are the servants of sin. We know the teaching where Jesus said we have to decide who we will serve, the Devil with our sin, or God with our sins forgiven by Christ. There is no middle ground. People who claim to be Christians and walk in darkness are either not truly saved or extremely carnal. And we will never grow in the Lord until we obey His Word and study His word. If we will truly come in pure heart to the Lord, he will make us free. And it won’t be a false shallow freedom or a turning over of a new leaf, it will be a life changing freedom where we will never be the same as we once were.

John 8:39 They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham.

"Abraham is our father." This argument shows quite clearly how proudly and fiercely they despised all of Christ’s reproofs. They keep on claiming to be Abraham’s children, not just meaning that they are descended from Abraham, but that they are a holy race, God’s heritage and children. And yet they are still placing their confidence in human nature. But unspiritual descent without faith is mere hypocrisy. We can now see what blinded them and made Christ of no interest them, even though he was armed with deadly thunder. Christ distinguishes more clearly in verse 39 between illegitimate and legitimate children of Abraham and takes away the name from all who are unlike Abraham. It is true that children often do not reflect in their behavior the father they sprung from. But Christ is not discussing physical descent here, but only affirms that people who do not by faith keep the grace of adoption are not to be reckoned among Abraham’s children before God. Since the Lord promised to Abraham’s descendants that he would be their God (Genesis 17:7), all unbelievers exclude themselves from Abraham’s family when they reject this promise. "

Gal 3:29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

We see that if we are Christ’s, then we are a true descendant of Abraham. We as Gentiles have been grafted into the perfect line.

John 8:40 But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham.

1. Abraham was a believer

Gen 15:2 And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?

Gen 15:3 And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.

Gen 15:4 And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.

Gen 15:5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.

Gen 15:6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

2. Abraham was a Separationist

Gen 12:1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee:

Gen 12:2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

Gen 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

Gen 12:4 So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.

3. Abraham was a tither

Gen 14:17 And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king's dale.

Gen 14:18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.

Gen 14:19 And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:

Gen 14:20 And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.

Gen 14:21 And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself.

Gen 14:22 And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth,

Gen 14:23 That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich:

4. Abraham was no trouble maker, but rather a peacemaker

Gen 13:8 And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren.

Gen 13:9 Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left.

5. Abraham was a man that made a sacrifice

Gen 22:11 And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.

Gen 22:12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.

A man who was willing to put his own son to death if that was what God wanted. But it was a test only. God provided the sacrifice with a ram in the bush rather than Isaac.

6. Abraham lived by faith.

Heb 11:8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.

7. Abraham did not limit the power of God

Rom 4:20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;

Rom 4:21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.

Were these men living like Abraham? Not at all, and Jesus was revealing their sinful condition to them.

John 8:42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.

1 John 3:14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.

1 John 3:15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

1 John 3:16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

John 8:47 He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.

Jesus really lays it on the line when he tells them that they are serving their truth father which was Satan himself. He tells them that they have no truth in them because they will not hear the Word of the Lord. When someone says "I don’t care what the Bible says, I’m doing it my way.", you can be sure that the love of God does not dwell in that person. When we are saved, we get the mind of Christ, and His heartbeat was to do the very will of the Father. Sometimes the truth hurts. When the pastor preaches the Word and I’m convicted of my sin, many times I get uncomfortable. But that is God’s way of using the Holy Spirit to correct us and bring us back to the path of righteousness. These men are told that they do not believe Jesus even though He spoke the truth to them. Many will not hear today. They would rather believe a lie than the truth of God.

2 Tim 4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

2 Tim 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

2 Tim 4:4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

There is a day coming soon when the Anti-Christ will deceive virtually the whole world with his false teachings.

John 8:51 Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.

The men now shift gears and accuse Christ of being a Samaritan. We know clearly that Jesus was a Jew from not only His birth, but from the encounter he had with the woman at the well who was a Samaritan. This woman accused Jesus of being a Jew, while these men accuse Christ of having a devil

John 8:53 Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself?

These men ask a good question… are you greater than Abraham our Father? And the answer was YES. Not only greater, but greater than any man who ever walked on the face of this earth. John the Baptist said He was so great that he, being a prophet of God, was not worthy to even loose the latchets on his shoes.

John 8:59 Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

Jesus did not come to honour himself, but the Father gave all honour to Him. We read the verses a couple of weeks ago where it says that every knee shall bow and every tongue profess that Jesus Christ is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Jesus tells them in verse 56 that Abraham desired to see the day when Jesus would come to pay for the sins of the world. The Jews are really confused on this one… They say, "Thou art not 50 years old, and hast seen Abraham?" Jesus was only about 32 to 33 years of age, but he was in existence long before Abraham. As He states, "Before Abraham was, I am." Remember how that "I AM" was one of the names of God that he told Moses to use when he went before Pharaoh.

Exo 3:13 And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?

Exo 3:14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

e-mail: davidparham@internetbible.net

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