well if you're uh visiting today we've been working through the gospel of john uh we're going through john's gospel and um you'll know that we're in chapter eight today and we're going to continue this this ends this section in chapter eight next week we uh go on to um a different sort of section as jesus heals the man born blind and move into uh jesus as the good shepherd but this closes out what i believe is an important section of jesus confronting unbelief in the community of faith and showing how ugly unbelief really is if you've ever felt like at times the lord in his word is is really um strong and at times uh combative and confrontive this should give you all the reason as to why you know when we go through this you'll see how nasty and and ugly unbelief is. And that's the intention here as Jesus is stripping away everything that people trust in. So John chapter eight this morning, and we will look at verses 48 to the end of the chapter. This is the word of the Lord. The Jews answered him, are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon? Jesus answered, I do not have a demon, but I honor my father and you dishonor me. Yet I do not seek my own glory. There's one who seeks it and he is the judge. Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death. The Jews said to him, now we know that you have a demon. Abraham died and did as did the prophets. Yet you say, if anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death. Are you greater than our father Abraham who died and the prophets died? Who do you make yourself out to be? Jesus answered, If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, He is our God. 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. But I do know Him, and I keep His word. Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. he saw it and was glad so the jews said to him you are not yet 50 years old and have you seen abraham jesus said to them truly truly i say to you before abraham was i am so they picked up stones to throw at him but jesus hit himself and went out of the temple and there ends the reading of God's word this morning. What a text this morning to preach. Jesus here in John chapter 8 is really doing remarkable things and making remarkable claims and is unmasking unbelief. I shouldn't have said unmasking. It just doesn't really work right now. But it makes the point that jesus is exposing and tearing down unbelief and what he's done is is is really attack everything that the the jews the jews have put their confidence in i mean if you go through this you see it's sort of systematic in a way he has he has gone after their trust in moses he's gone after their trust in the law he's now he's gone after their trust in abraham everything that they had put their trust in he has ripped down he has pulled down their whole system of righteousness that's what paul says in romans chapter 9 that what the what they tried to do was create another way of righteousness it's really really powerful when you think about jesus tearing all this down and saying there's only one way of true righteousness and as we come now to this as he's exposing the dangers of unbelief that we hear the point of this is that we would put our trust in nothing other than than him but we have to know why we need to trust him we have to know what is at stake we have to know what the issues are why do we believe in him and why is this so important and why are his claims a matter of life and death? These are big questions that have huge consequences for everything, and that's what is in front of us this morning. In verse 47, he drew a conclusion that he who is of God hears God's words. Did you see that? Therefore, you do not hear because you are not of God. That is a remarkable statement that Jesus has made here, that they are not able to hear because they are not of God. And again, we're right in the thick of this issue about hearing God's word, aren't we? And so Jesus has confronted their unbelief and they cannot answer his claims. That is the really big point here, that he keeps stepping up the claims that he makes. And now they resort in this particular section to the lowest insults that they could bring and hit Jesus with. Like a boxer that just keeps stepping into the punches and then keeps stepping into them instead of backing down at all. This is Jesus. Jesus is taking the hits. Remarkably, the Son of God is taking these insults, taking them and stepping into them and not backing down in the least as he confronts their unbelief. So now, like anyone who's getting it handed to them, they turn to these terrible insults. And I want to spend a few moments here looking at this. I noticed here that the insults that they make against him, and then Jesus will answer this with a great claim, which will be our second point. And then finally, we'll look at how he then gives a great revelation of himself in the end to close out this section that really is a chilling end to John chapter 8. So what they begin to do in this particular section now is hurl awful threats at him and awful insults. Notice in verse 48 that what is said here is, the Jews answered him, are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon? That has to be the most low, insulting blow you could give here to the Son of God on this earth. Think about that. Think about what they said. Blasphemous. Just blasphemous of what they've said. We need to consider it for a moment. This is the only place in the Gospels that's interesting that they call Jesus a Samaritan. Which is a moment to stop and say, why in the world were people calling Jesus a Samaritan? I find it interesting about Jesus is that he doesn't even answer that charge. He answers the charge about being called having a demon. But he leaves this one alone. And I think the reason is, is because of the issue that's in front of us here in this particular section. Remember back at the woman at the well, that Jesus had already met a Samaritan. The Jews hated the Samaritans. That woman at the well was thought of to be a half-breed and somebody who didn't deserve anything of the Jewish religion. And here it was, going around in the areas that Jesus was a Samaritan. I think you get a clear indication of what that means back in verse 41 when Jesus tells them that they're doing the works of their father. And what did they say? We are, notice it in John 8, 41, you are doing the works of your father. They said to him, we were not born of the sexual immorality. Put that together. We have pure lineage. But you don't. You're born of the fornication. we're not of sexual immorality. Don't we rightly say of you that you're a Samaritan? You're a half-breed? And you say, there's no doubt on our part as they're saying this, you're a half-breed, but what are they really saying about him? It was circulating among the Jews that Jesus was an illegitimate son of Mary. I'm assuming that the teaching of the virgin birth Jesus gave to his disciples, I'm assuming that Jesus was teaching his people about these things. And they probably said, yeah, right. Yeah, right. Your mom shacked up with an infidel. That's the reality. The holy, pure Son of God. Remember, the Holy Spirit overshadowed that womb and sanctified that womb to keep it preserved from any stain of original sin. And he's bearing these insults. Think about that for a minute. He is bearing these insults. It's not a little thing. Would you like to hear today somebody running around insulting you everywhere that your mom was out whoring around and that's how you came to be? If that offends you at all in the least, think about the Son of God carrying that and bearing that when it wasn't true. You're of the fornication. You're a Samaritan. You're the unclean scum of the earth. How mad would you be? What would you do if that was circulating about you and your mom? I doubt I'd handle that report very well. Especially when you could, with a word, put these people out. In fact, what I find remarkable about Jesus is he didn't even answer it. And I think the point of that is to say That's such a special teaching of who he is. And the virgin birth and the conception is for you. It's for his people. Not for the children of the devil. And that's a big moment. I think of Isaiah when it said that what he would do for us is he was despised and rejected by men. He bore our shame. And he carried our sorrows. Who's the illegitimate sons? All of us. All of us, because of sin. So he's carrying this charge. And then comes the worst blasphemy. And do we not say that you have a demon? Whoa. I stand back as I was preparing this thinking, see what the Son of God had to come up against? Do you think this was an easy task of coming into a world of nice people? As we always say, the human heart's so good and kind and nice. This is the human heart. And Jesus is dealing with it and coming up against it. And back in chapter 7, they had already said this about Jesus, that he had a demon when he had healed somebody and asked why they wanted to kill him. You have a demon, nobody wants to kill you. And even in this passage, they try to take up stones against him. Jesus answered this particular charge here in verse 49 and says, I do not have a demon, but I honor my father and you dishonor me. And I do not seek my own glory. There's one who seeks and judges. Do you hear what Jesus is saying? When you attack me, notice this here. When you attack me and reject me and you throw insults at me, I am the one here doing God's will. Translate, you're attacking God. you're attacking God. They looked at the works of Jesus and you know what they did? They attributed all the works of Jesus to that of the devil. I don't think you should pass over that quickly when Jesus next says, I want you to know there's one who sees and there's one who judges. You dishonor me. You treat me shamefully. you degrade me like this you don't listen to me you don't believe in me you're doing that to god this is so important whatever you do with jesus you are doing to god that is such an important claim in our day that is such an important thing to say in our day um this is why uh i put lord's day nine and the trinity here so that we would see this is a Trinitarian passage, very important to see. Elsewhere, Jesus spoke of the Spirit in this regard. In my opinion, they just committed the unpardonable sin. Jesus said that back in chapter 5, dealing with this issue back in chapter 5. But in Matthew chapter 12, when he had healed a man, the people were questioning whether this is the Son of God. And this is what the Pharisees said. Now, when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of demons. What did Jesus say? Therefore, I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him. But whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come. The unpardonable sin seems to be clear here that it's when you attribute the works of Christ done in the power of the Spirit to that of Satan. It's a specific kind of sin. It's a heart so hard that that's where it's come. And Jesus says that sin is unforgivable. So the people, notice here, the religious leaders were attributing the works of Jesus done in the demonstration of the Spirit to the devil. i was thinking this week of the shame that jesus bears today i think he greatly restrains this sin i don't hear this kind of statements to this degree of jesus today it's a mercy of the lord that he restrains this however i think of the shame that he bears and the hardness of the human heart when people are are being given over to their sin especially in a country that says you can believe anything that you want but the exclusive claim of salvation in Jesus. You can't believe that. Doesn't it shock you that you can believe anything you want freely here? Anything you want. Anything that's the most blasphemous idea. Anything that's the worst kind of insult to God. You can believe freely in this country. Doesn't it shock you that you can do that I accept this claim. And I'm going to show you what that claim is in a minute. Many think they're following God in everything that they're doing. All these people right now in the world in politics and everything that's happening, they think they're doing God's will. I want you to hear what Jesus is saying. What you do with me is a matter of supreme importance in your life. I am doing God's will. Verse 54, it is my father who honors me. So what does your dishonor of me really say? There's no other way of salvation. And I think that leads us to the biggest moment in the Gospel of John. I don't say that loosely. I don't say that in a way that undermines everything that he's been saying. He says really important things in the Gospel of John. But I think it's a moment where John is really capturing for us how awful unbelief and rejection of Jesus is. And now Jesus gives the ultimate claim of their terrible treatment. In the midst of their terrible treatment of him, he gives the ultimate claim in the midst of this. And I want you to hear it for a minute. He makes the ultimate claim having to do with life and death now. And that's not insignificant in these charges. It's not insignificant in the midst of these insults. And notice he gives it in the most powerful way when it really reads of a truth of a truth. What I'm saying to you now is one of the most important things you need to know in this life. Anyone who keeps my word. Now remember, we looked at that last time. That word has to have a place in us. Again, that was Nicodemus where life is given in the heart and the word is planted there. We were born again by the word of truth. That word has to have a place in us. We abide in that word. That word is a treasure to us. That word by which we have life is given to us. Anyone who has that word, keeps that word, upholds that word, abides in that word. Notice this. He shall never, think of this claim, see death. Who says that? That is an awesome statement. Ever heard anyone say that? whoever keeps my word will never see death. It's a remarkable claim because what Jesus just took to himself is Lord over death. He's the Lord over death. He claimed it. He's claimed everything. And that's what he meant when he said to Mary and Martha, remember in a few chapters we're going to look at Lazarus who had died and they're really struggling with death. And Jesus is so consoling to them, But he pressed them because they weren't listening in the midst of their grief, in the midst of their sorrow, to what his presence meant in the light of death. And remember what he said, I told you if you believe, you believe in me. Remember, if you believe my word. He said, even though you die, you will live. Are you listening to me? That's what I've come to solve. That when you die, you still live. You will never see, some translations and some of the early manuscripts had an extra word here, said you will never see death for eternity. And I think that's exactly the meaning, whether it's there or not. John has helped us with this. It's really remarkable that their response is, and I think here of the consequence of what they've said about him and everything they're saying and now the claim that he's making. It's as if the effect of it is, listen, you're saying awful things about me. But you know who I am and what I've come to do. And you know the consequences for rejecting this. And that comes out in verse 52. You'll notice in verse 52 that they say to Jesus, then the Jews said to him, now we know that you have a demon. And Abraham died, as did the prophets. Yet you say, if anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death. Now, any astute reader will say, wait a minute, wait a minute, that's not quite what he said. There's different words there. Which I think is illustrating the very point, that they're not hearing and keeping the word. The Jews just changed the word. They just changed his word. How can you say, if anyone keeps my word, notice, he shall never taste death. Is that what he said? He chose a very different word. You see, there was no stop. There was no careful attention given to the word. There was no desire to really hear that word of what Jesus' message was, what he was saying, why he was saying it. Notice the heart here. This is the parable of the sower. The seed is thrown onto the ground. It had nowhere to go. And Satan came and took it right away, right away. And they immediately, notice the hostility, they reject that word, they hate that word, and they attack that word. And they gave nothing to listen to what he was saying to them. They took the most literal, wooden understanding of Jesus' words possible. We got you, you have a demon. You know why you have a demon? Because Abraham died. And so did the prophets. And their bodies are in the ground. You said no one will ever physically die. That's not what he said. That's not what he said. Whoever believes in me, death will not prevent life. That's beautiful. There's a reason why there's so much confusion in the world right now. It's not that the word is unclear or misstated. it's that we level upon Jesus' word whatever we want and we avoid listening to the claims that he's making over our lives because what it requires from us and what he's calling us to is faith. Faith in him. In Jesus, right now they could escape the judgment that is coming upon the whole world and refusing to listen to that word. See how important listening to the word is? And refusing to listen to that word, what do they do? They rationalize his claims away, twisting that word just like the devil did in the garden. Isn't that ironic? In this passage, we have a word twisting where he had just said, you do the works of your father, the devil. And the devil in the garden came to Eve and says, has God really said? And then he mingled it all up and got Eve all messed up with the Word. Well, it comes down to this question of the place of the Word again in our lives. And the reality here is they're turning from that life. They're turning from that Word. And we have the most pivotal moment now in the Gospel of John, I think, for now Jesus saying, you need to consider who I am. It's time. It's time. They have dishonored him. They have said he has a demon. They have made bold and powerful claims against him. But at the end of the day, what are they going to do with what he says now? Because you can't afford to get this wrong. In verse 53, they ask the question of the text. Who in the world do you make yourself out to be? Who do you think you are? He answers that. That's the question of John, by the way. That's the question of the book, by the way. That is the question that John is bearing down on us and pressing us with. We're not just looking at the humanity of Jesus and John, important as that is, as the other Gospels do. We are really focusing in on the divinity of the Son. This is the Son of God and what that means for us. And the question that they ask is the most important question that John wants us to think about in the book. Who does he make himself out to be? Who is he? Jesus responds. It's really a remarkable response in verse 53 and 54 of John 8, where he says, notice carefully, Jesus answered, If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It's my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, he is our God. 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, but I know him and I keep his word. Your father, Abraham, rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad. He just went after the jugular and their trust of Abraham. It's an interesting statement in Hebrews that says, these all died in faith talking about the patriarchs not having received the promises but having seen them afar off and were assured of them I thought to myself when did Abraham rejoice to see Jesus remember when Isaac was born in Genesis 17 and I will bless her and also give you a son by her then I will bless her and she shall be a mother of nations kings of people shall come from her and abraham fell on his face and laughed and said in his heart shall a child be born to a man who's of a hundred years old shall sarah who's 90 years old bear a child a lot of commentators do take that laugh as scorn and i've struggled with that over the years the new testament doesn't seem to do that new testament says he never wavered at the promise because of unbelief the aramaic targum renders the word laugh, rejoice. That what Abraham was doing when he looked upon Isaac after all that struggle and after all that wrong temptation of trying to do it himself, when he looked upon Isaac, he rejoiced because he saw Jesus. And then Jesus steps it up further. Abraham didn't just do that. he did far more than just rejoice Abraham saw me before Abraham was I am that is sort of a climax in the gospel of John right now that we should all it should bring chills down our spine that is the most clear statement of Jesus' divinity in the scripture, I want you to know. That from his mouth is the clearest statement of his divinity. You ever question, boys and girls, whether Jesus is really God? Here you go. He just said to them, most assuredly, I tell you, before Abraham existed, I am. I am who I am. I am truly God. The Jews have no doubt about what he's saying when he said this for the next thing you read is they didn't even wait for a judicial hearing. They didn't even wait for a court case. They grabbed stones right then and there to stone him. Even going against Roman law, that was it. It was the ultimate blasphemy to say this. He was either C.S. Lewis, liar, lunatic, Lord. They chose lunatic and grabbed the stones. This man's done. And as John shows us, no, it wasn't the time. It wasn't that. That's how in control Jesus was of everything. It's just remarkable, isn't it? Jesus has made all these claims in the Bible, beloved. I am the bread of life. If you eat of this bread, you'll live forever. This is, what a claim. We went through that. I am the light of the world, as he stood in front of the candelabra there in the temple. I will light up your world. I am the light. Come to me and you will have light to the promised land like I led the children of Israel right to the promised land and through the Red Sea with that light. That was me. And now, he just gave the best news ever if you've heard it. He just said, and guess what I also am? I'm the Lord of death. When you hear my word and you believe in me and you trust my word and you hold my word as true and there is faith in me, here's the best news I could ever give to anyone as a pastor. Even though you die, you will live. Doesn't mean you'll never die. You're going to die at some point. Its sting is taken away. Death, as we heard last Sunday night, and as our Heidelberg says, is it puts an end to our sin and misery and is an entrance into eternal life. This is what Jesus is teaching. This is what he's saying here. This is what he says in Revelation when he says, don't fear what's going on in the world. I hold the keys of death and Hades. They're mine. I am, said Jesus, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God is not the God of the what? Dead. But of the living. They're living right now. That's what he's saying. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are living. right now just like all of our beloved ones who've died in the lord they're living right now they're with the lord they're cherished by the lord precious in the sight of the lord is the death of his saints that's jesus's claim that's his stake that's what he's purchased that's who he owns right now all who have died believing his word are alive and well do you hear that word now you understand what john is showing these things are written that you would believe that jesus christ is the son of god and believing that you you would have life in his name jesus is the lord over death isn't that the best news in this crazy world that's dying believing his word you have absolute hope absolute encouragement absolute blessing absolute care absolute protection absolute love and nothing to fear best news we could ever give john put a spotlight on unbelief for you today to show you how ugly and nasty it really is don't you see it in the world once you often see it in your own hearts to say to us don't be unbelieving but believing and know peace and joy and happiness in the Holy Spirit. That's what Jesus has done for us. That's what the gospel is saying to us and that's the best news he could ever give us. Let's praise him today in prayer. Heavenly Father thank you for such a word and that there was one who came and kept that word perfectly to give us life. standing in front of them that day was the word keeper through the power of his word would set free all those who were in bondage to death that life might be given to them. We give you great praise today for so great a salvation. Thank you for sending your beloved son the one in the burning bush the one who is and who was and who is to come. the one who gives life by his word. And as he laid down his life, may we have complete confidence of what was said to us, not only to be absent from the body as to be present with the Lord, but that in the resurrection, we will forever, with a brand new body, praise the Lord eternally with no more sin, no more sorrow, no more unbelief. Comfort us in these words today and may your peace that surpasses all understanding guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus, in his name.