Bible Text: John 11:17-36 | Pastor: Pastor Mike | Series: John | 06-10-2018

Jesus Wept

John 11:17-36

Read John 11:17-19… As noted, Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days when Jesus arrived.
During the time of Christ, deceased were normally buried within 24 hours (Acts 5:1-10), Ananias and Sapphira lied to God, were struck dead and buried.
Read John 11:20-27… Lord, “Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.”
Note: Jesus in Luke 7:11–17, raised the son of a widow commanding, “get up,” he sat up and began to talk; in Luke 8:52–56, a 12 year old girl died, Jesus held her hand, saying “My child, get up,” she stood up.
Jesus is the resurrection and the life. Martha voices her belief in Him, as John writes (John 20:31), “that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.”
Read John 11:28-36… Martha tells her sister Jesus wants to see her. Mary gets up to go to Jesus, many of those comforting her go with her.
Mary arrives at Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” Jesus loved this family, He is deeply moved [implies outrage & indignation]. Jesus is troubled, in Matthew 2:3 Herod uses this word when the Magi are looking for the One born King of the Jews; it is also used by Jesus (John 13:21) at the Last Supper, concerning the one of who would betray Him.
We are told Jesus wept (cf. Isaiah 53:3), “A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” The word wept (verse 35) is only used once in the New Testament. It implies a quiet, bursting into tears, the result of deep grief.
“See how He loved Lazarus!” Jesus came to die for us, to take our punishment, that we might be forgiven for our sins, made acceptable to the Holy God of Creation.
2Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” 21, “He [God] made Him [Jesus] who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
Romans 3:23-24, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.”
Romans 5:8, “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 8:1-2, Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.”
Hebrews 9:27-28, “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.”
1Peter 3:18, “For Christ died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit.”
Next week Jesus will demonstrate what He said in John 11:25-26, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”
Do you believe that Jesus is the Christ, God’s Son, Savior? Your eternity depends on your response to Him!

Bible Text: John 11:1-16 | Pastor: Pastor Mike | Series: John | These are the sermon notes from Sunday’s bulletin:

06-03-2018

Lazarus is Dead

John 11:1-16

Read John 11:1-2… We are told that Lazarus, brother
of Mary and Martha from Bethany, near Jerusalem, is sick.
Read John 11:3-6… Mary & Martha send word to Jesus, “he whom You love is sick.”
Jesus doesn’t go for two more days? But why not heal him long-distance? See John 4:46-53…
It would see that Lazarus was already dead when the messenger informed Jesus (see John 11:17).
Read John 11:7-10… The disciples are concerned about going back up to Jerusalem; they left there after the Jews tried to kill Jesus, it isn’t safe to return to Judea.
Jesus answers them with a really strange response (see verses 9-10).
We think of a day as 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness, but Jesus is not talking about a solar day.
John 8:12, “Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.’”
Jesus gives believers eternal life; He is self-existent – He was not created, He is the Creator, eternally existent, the Almighty “I AM,” (Exodus 3:14).
There was a time when the universe did not exist; but there was never a time when God did not exist. Jesus Christ, the Word [Logos], is God, He has always existed.
In Christ was the light and life of God (see John 1:1-4; 1John 1:5-7).
Without the light of Christ there is only darkness.
John 9:4-5, “We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.”
All Christians are empowered to do the work of God. Do you see the meaning of John 11:9-10? Those who have Christ, walk in the Light of God’s Word, those who don’t believe in Christ walk in darkness, they are dead, void of the Life and Light of God!
Read John 11:11-16… Jesus tells the Twelve, Lazarus has “fallen asleep” and He needs to go wake him up.
Note: Sleep is a euphemism for death: in the OT the phrase “slept with his fathers” means to die (1Kings 2:10; 11:34); in the NT the phrase “fallen asleep” is applied to Christians who have died (Matthew 27:52; Acts 7:60; 1Corinthians 15:6, 51; 1Thessalonians 4:13-15).
Jesus says He is going to “awaken him out of sleep,” i.e., raise Lazarus from the dead. The disciples don’t get it, they think he’ll just wake up after he rested or well.
Jesus clears it up (verse 14), “Lazarus is dead!” Jesus is going there to raise him from the dead.
Usually it is Peter who opens his mouth at times like this (verse 16), saying what the other guys are thinking (cf. John 6:68-69), “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.”
Thomas [Hebrew] and Didymus [Greek], both mean “the twin”. Thomas displays his love for Christ when he says, “Let us also go, so that we may die with Him.” The disciples know going back to Judea will be dangerous.
The sadness of Lazarus’ death will turn to joy, as both Father and Son receive glory at Lazarus’ resurrection.
John 3:36, “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey [believe] the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
John 5:26, “For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself.” John 6:40, “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”
John 11:25, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies.”
1John 5:11-12, “And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.”

Bible Text: John 10:22-42 | Pastor: Pastor Mike | Series: John | 05-27-2018

Rejected and Accused of Blasphemy, Jesus Departs

John 10:22-42

“Rejected and Accused of Blasphemy, Jesus Departs.”
Read John 10:22-24… The Feast of Dedication, known today as Hanukkah or Feast of Lights, takes place on the 25th of Chislev (Nov.-Dec).
Read John 10:25-31… Evidently these Jews weren’t paying attention in John 5:17; 8:12, 24, 58.
Jesus is God in human flesh, giving His life as payment for our sins (see 2Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 9:26b).
To those who genuinely belong to God through Christ, being born of the Spirit of God (John 1:12-13), “…to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God…” “…born of God.”
Those who belong to Christ have eternal life (John 11:25-26), “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in Me will never die.”
Jesus states His own equality with the Father; the Jews pick up stones to throw at Him.
Read John 10:32-33… The Jews are unwilling to believe Jesus is God in the flesh, the One who came to die for our sins (see John 1:1-4, 14, 18).
Mark 10:45, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”
Hebrews 9:26, “He [Christ] has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself.”
Hebrews 10:10, “We have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”
Read John10:34-38… This is, at first reading, a difficult teaching, that God would call Israel’s corrupt judges gods.
Psalm 82:1-2, “A psalm of Asaph. God presides in the great assembly; He gives judgment among the ‘gods’: ‘How long will you defend the unjust and show partiality to the wicked?’” 6-7, “I said, ‘You are “gods”; you are all sons of the Most High.’ But you will die like mere men; you will fall like every other ruler.”
Verse 35… God called these wicked judges “gods”, although they were just sinful men. So shouldn’t the One sent by the Father, to save us, be called the Son of God?
Jesus appeals to the Jews, but they are so spiritually blind they cannot recognize His works as the works of God; (verse 38) even if they don’t believe Him, they should believe the miracles themselves and come to the conclusion that the Father is in Jesus and He is in the Father, for (verse 30) “He and the Father are one.”
Read John 10:39-42… These hardhearted Jews don’t want to believe in Jesus, they want to arrest Him and bring Him to the Sanhedrin, but He escapes their grasp [cf. John 7:30; 8:20, “His time had not yet come”].
Jesus departs Jerusalem and goes back across the Jordan, where John baptized Him [John 1:28, Bethany, “beyond the Jordan]. While there, many people comets Him saying, everything John said about Him is true.
Note: Although John performed no miracles, the people considered him to be a prophet from God and a true witness of the Messiah (see John 1:29-33).
Like the time of Christ, today most people reject Him, only those who come to Him believing, repenting of sin, will be granted forgiveness for sins, eternal life and (John 1:12),“the right to become children of God.”
John 7:17, “If anyone chooses to do God’s will, he will find out whether My teaching comes from God or whether I speak on My own.”
John 6:28-29, They asked Him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” 29, Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one He has sent.”
John 8:24, “I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am [the one I claim to be].”
John 20:31, “These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.”

Bible Text: John 10:1-21 | Pastor: Pastor Mike | Series: John | This is the insert from the Sunday Morning bulletin.

05-20-2018

God’s Son, the Good Shepherd

John 10:1-21

Read John 10:1-5… Shepherding was always a part of the life in Israel. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses and David, were all shepherds.
God is the Shepherd, Israel is the sheep.
Psalm 23:1, “A psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.”
Isaiah 40:11, “He tends His flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart; He gently leads those that have young.”
Ezekiel 34:11-12a, “For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: ‘I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after My sheep.’”
The Old Testament prophets warn Israel’s leaders who don’t care for God’s people (see Isaiah 56:10-11; Jeremiah 23:1-2; Ezekiel 34:2-10).
Matthew 7:15, “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.”
Acts 20:28-29, “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which He bought with his own blood. I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock.”
Read John 10:6-11… There were many false teachers at the time of Jesus; but the true sheep (children of God) were not led astray by them.
Jesus, the Good Shepherd, provided payment for the sins of all who believe in Him.
Read John 10:12-16… The hired hand doesn’t care for the sheep, but runs away when trouble comes.
The shepherds in Israel often protect the sheep from wolves, lions, bears, or thieves and robbers (see 1Samuel 17:32-37, 48-50).
God’s flock contains both Jew and Gentile who respond to Jesus Christ (see Acts 10:9-16, 24-28, 34-38, 44-48; Ephesians 2:11-16).
Read John 10:17-18… Jesus always obeyed the Father who loved Him and sent Him to save us (see Matthew 3:17; 17:5; John 6:25-29).
Read John 10:19-21… Jesus’ words stir the people up, some saying He has a demon and is insane, as we have seen before (cf. John 7:20; 8:48, 52).
But some don’t agree (verse 21), “These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”
Remember the blind man (John 9:25)? The Jews wanted him to denounce Jesus as a sinner; but the blind man responded, “Whether He is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!” Jesus was indeed sent from God.
By referring to Himself as the Gate for the sheep (John 10:9) and the Good Shepherd (John 10:11, 14), Jesus describes Himself as the Savior Shepherd of all who belong to God, for He lays down His own life for you and for me.
What a wonderful Savior!

Bible Text: John 9:13-41 | Pastor: Pastor Mike | Series: John | These are the sermon notes from the church bulletin insert:

05-13-2018

Spiritual Blindness!

John 9:13-41

Read John 9:13-16… The man says, “He put mud on
my eyes, I washed and now I see.”
The Pharisees say Jesus is not from God, for He didn’t keep the Sabbath. Jesus didn’t break any biblical commands concerning the Sabbath, although He violated religious rules, healing a man with a withered hand (Matthew 12:9-13), an invalid (John 5:1-9), making it clear (Mark 2:27), “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”
Read 9:17-23… The Jews don’t believe he was blind, so they call his parents in to testify. His parents don’t want to tangle with the Pharisees, so they say, ask him, he is an adult, he can answer for himself.
Read John 9:24-30… The Jews challenge the healed man to say Jesus is a sinner, and is not from God! His response was, “I was blind but now I can see!”
The Jews escalate, “How did He heal you?” “I told you already, do you want to become His disciples?
The all-knowing Jews don’t know where Jesus comes from, i.e., He is credentialed, we don’t acknowledge Him.
John 9:31-34… The ex-blind guy gives these Jews a lashing, “If this man [Jesus] is not from God, He could not do this miracle.”
The Pharisees release their vehemence, “you were born in sin,” they threw him out of the synagogue.
The Jews were spiritually dead (1Corinthians 2:14), “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.”
Read John 9:35-38… The Lord finds the man and asks, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” [Messiah, cf. Daniel 7:13-14), He has all power and dominion.
Jesus reveals Himself and the man responds, “Lord, I believe,” after which he worships the Lord.
Romans 5:12, “sin entered the world through one man [Adam], and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned,” 17-18, “death reigned through that one man [Adam], how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ! Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people.”
John 9:39-41… Jesus tells the Pharisees they are guilty before God, unwilling to repent and be saved; they are lovers of darkness rather than light.
The blind beggar received sight and salvation.
John 8:12, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
2Corinthians 4:4, “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel,” 6, “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”
2Corinthians 5:17-18, 21, “ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ.” 20-21, “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”
Herbert Spencer: time, force, action, space, matter. See Genesis 1:1…
“In the beginning” (that’s time)… “God” (that’s force)… “created” (that’s action)… “the heavens” (that’s space) … “the earth” (that’s matter).
All who repent of sin, believing in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, are healed of spiritual blindness.

Bible Text: John 9:1-12 | Pastor: Pastor Mike | Series: John | This is from the bulletin insert. The full sermon notes are below.

05-06-2018

Jesus Gives Sight to the Blind

John 9:1-12

Read John 9:1… The poor and disabled would often
receive alms from those coming to worship. See Luke 4:18-19 (cf. Isaiah 61:1-2)…
Jesus healed many blind (Matthew 9:27-28; 11:5; 12:22; 15:30-31; 20:30-24; 21:14; Mark 8:22-25).
Read John 9:2-5… The disciples assume this man’s sin, or his parent’s, made him blind.
Exodus 20:5; 34:7 says, “[God] punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.”
Deuteronomy 24:16, “Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their fathers; each is to die for his own sin.”
Ezekiel 18:20, “The soul who sins is the one who will die. The son will not share the guilt of the father, nor will the father share the guilt of the son.”
Paul exhorts believers to take the Lord’s Supper in a worthy manner (1Corinthians 11:26-29), warning them (verse 30), “That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep” (John 11:11-12; 1Corinthians 12:2; 15:51; 1Thessalonians 4:14; 5:10).
Jesus uses “we” (verse 4) because true disciples do the work of God (cf. John 14:12-14; Ephesians 2:10). Matthew 5:14-16, “You are the light of the world.” “…let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”
Read John 9:6-7… Jesus uses saliva on other occasions (deaf/mute, Mark 7:33; blind man, Mark 8:23), but only here does He use saliva and dirt to make mud [clay].
The pool of Siloam was at the SE corner of the wall surrounding the city. The blind man obeying Jesus, went to the pool, he washed, and then he could see. Genuine saving faith includes believing in and obeying Jesus Christ.
Read John 9:8-12… Jesus’ healing the blind man stirs up the man’s neighbors into confusion: “Isn’t this him?” “Yes it is he.” “No, he just looks like the man.”
The man declares, “it is me, I was blind!”
The crowd wants to meet the miracle worker. The man who was healed never saw Jesus.
This story illustrates the problem with unbelieving people, they are blinded (2Corinthians 4:4), “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”
The god of this age is the devil (Ephesians 2:2), “the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.”
1John 3:8, “He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.”
The blind man did not know who Jesus was.
Lost sinners are like a blind man, they can’t look for or find Jesus on their own (Romans 3:10-12), “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one,” 23, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (Romans 6:23), “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord,” (Romans 8:1-2), “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.”
Salvation heals our spiritual blindness.
Acts 2:21, Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Acts 4:12, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” [only Jesus Christ the Lord].

Bible Text: John 8:47-59 | Pastor: Pastor Mike | Series: John | BULLETIN INSERT–this is different from the downloadable sermon notes.

04-29-2018

Jesus Responds to His Accusers

John 8:47-59

Satan was thrown from heaven to earth (cf. Ezekiel 28:13-17), where he deceived Eve and Adam (cf. Genesis 3:1-22), bringing the curse of sin upon us.
1John 3:8, “He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.”
Read John 8:47-51… Jews hated Samaritans and considered them to be half-breeds, unclean. And yet, Jesus first reveals Himself as Messiah to a Samaritan woman (cf. John 4:25-26).
The Jews said Jesus was possessed by a demon, in
Mark 3:22 they said, “He is possessed by Beelzebub! By the prince of demons He is driving out demons.” They also said about John the Baptist (Matthew 11:18), “He has a demon.”
Jesus responded, “I do not have a demon.”
John 5:22-23, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on My own; but He sent Me,” (John 8:42), “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on My own; but He sent Me.”
Jesus came to (Matthew 1:21), “save His people from their sins,” (Luke 19:10), “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost,” (Hebrews 9:28), “Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; …to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him.”
God the Father places everything under the control and authority of His Son (Philippians 2:9-11), “God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Isaiah 52:13, “My Servant will act wisely; He will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.”
Christians won’t die (cf. John 8:51), this is repeated in the Scriptures (cf. John 3:16; 5:24; 6:50; 11:25-26). Read John 8:52-59… These Jews are thinking, “He is saying He has seen Abraham? He is demon possessed!”
Abraham is alive (see Matthew 22:30-33).
John 8:58, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was born, I am!” This is a direct claim to equality with God.
Exodus 3:14, “God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you.’” This is expressed in Revelation 1:8, “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty,” i.e., “I AM, I always have been and I always will be, because, I AM.” John 8:59, “At this, they picked up stones to stone Him, but Jesus hid Himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.”
Jesus is saying He is equal with God, the Jews pick up stones to kill Him (Leviticus 24:16), “anyone who blasphemes the name of the LORD must be put to death. The entire assembly must stone him. Whether an alien or native-born, when he blasphemes the Name, he must be put to death.”
“No one laid a hand on Him, because His time had not yet come” (John 7:30; 8:20; 10:39; 13:1). No one could take Him by force (John 10:17-18), “I lay down My life – only to take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”
Jesus’ warning is stern (John 8:24), “I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am [the one I claim to be], you will indeed die in your sins.”
John 20:31, “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

Bible Text: John 8:21-30 | Pastor: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: John |

04-22-2018

Children of God vs Children of Satan?

John 8:21-30

Last week we read Jesus saying (John 8:32), “you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” His declaration here brought clarity to John 8:24, “unless you believe that I am (the one I claim to be), you will indeed die in your sins.” To die in your sins means to die apart from the salvation that has come through Jesus Christ.

Sermon Notes:

Last week we read Jesus saying (John 8:32), “you will know the truth, and the truth will
set you free.” His declaration here brought clarity to John 8:24, “unless you believe that
I am (the one I claim to be), you will indeed die in your sins.” To die in your sins means
to die apart from the salvation that has come through Jesus Christ.
Most likely we will all die one day, the most important thing we can do in this life is to
believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, for in doing so, we receive forgiveness for
sins and eternal life, meaning, we won’t “die in [our] sins.” Jesus would later proclaim
(John 11:25-26), “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live,
even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in Me will never die.”
Read John 8:33-34… What an odd response to Jesus’ proclamation that those who
believe in and follow Him will know the truth [of God] and will therefore be free. As I
mentioned, in my opening refresher on last week’s lesson, Jesus is talking about being
set free from sin’s penalty, by believing that He is the Messiah and receiving Him as
God’s Son, Savior.
The Jews answer Him by saying that as Abraham’s descendants they are free and
have never been enslaved, so why would they need to be free.
But their protest is simply not true, for they have been enslaved by Egypt, Assyria,
Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Syria and now Rome, so they must not be referring to
political slavery [i.e., occupation by a Gentile nation] but it would seem they are talking
about spiritual slavery [serving pagan gods], because as Abraham’s descendants they
claim to serve the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Jews believed their religious rituals and relationship to Abraham made them
acceptable, even united with God; but they are sinners in need of the Savior’s
forgiveness just like the Gentiles who aren’t descendants of Abraham.
Jesus’ response (verse 34) is classic: Everyone who sin’s is a slave to sin, and as
the Scriptures repeatedly state, everyone is guilty of sin, no one is acceptable to God on
their own merit (cf. Romans 3:10-12; 3:23; 6:23).
The only way for sinners to be released from their slavery to sin and it’s curse, is to
be united with God through Christ’s death and resurrection (see Romans 6:1-7, 11-14);
only through Christ can a person become spiritually and eternally free from the
condemnation of sin. The reality is, every conscious person is either serving sin, and is
controlled by the flesh; or they are serving God, and are controlled by God’s Spirit.
Read John 8:35-36… The Israelites would no doubt consider themselves to be sons in
the house of God, not slaves. Sons have permanent rights in the house of their father,
where as slaves do not, unless of course they are adopted into the family and granted
the rights of sonship.
Do you see? It is through the Son of God that one moves from slavery to sin, which
brings condemnation, to sonship, adoption into God’s household, which brings reward
and inheritance (see Romans 8:1-2, 6-9, 15-16).
The truth is, it is only those who believe in, confess and follow Jesus Christ as the
Son of God who are genuine sons of God; it doesn’t matter, quite frankly, whether or not
one descended from Abraham.
See Matthew 12:46-50… Only those who do the Father’s will are truly children of
God, believers, followers and servants of the Lord Jesus Christ (see John 6:28-29;
20:29-31; 1John 5:1-5).
Read John 8:37-38… Jesus continues to unveil the truth concerning the Jews
relationship with God, clearly Jesus says they cannot assume that as biological
descendants of Abraham they are guaranteed sonship in God’s kingdom; after all, they
not only reject, but are seeking to kill God’s Son.
Ancestral descent from Abraham and physical circumcision through the covenant
God made with Abraham does not make one right with God (see Romans 2:17-18,
23-29; 9:6, 27; Galatians 3:6-14).
The Jews speaking to Christ in John 8 clearly reject the teaching Jesus is giving
them; instead of receiving Him and obeying Him as Abraham did, they reject Him and
His message. These Jews are not children of God, they don’t really know God, neither
are they willing to believe in and receive God’s Only Son.
John 8:19, “They asked Jesus, ‘Where is your father?’ ‘You do not know Me or My
Father,’ Jesus replied. ‘If you knew Me, you would know My Father also.’”
Read John 8:39-41a… Abraham was a man of faith (Genesis 15:6), “Abram believed
the LORD, and He credited it to him as righteousness,” (Genesis 26:5), “Abraham
obeyed Me and kept My requirements, My commands, My decrees and My laws.”
Being made acceptable to a Holy God, cannot be ascertained through religious
rituals, moral goodness or ancestral inheritance; but only through Christ (cf. Acts 2:21;
4:12; John 14:6; see Galatians 3:26-29).
Instead of believing in and obeying God, as Abraham had, these Jews show, by their
words and deeds, that they are not sons of either Abraham or God, for they not only
reject God’s Son, they want to kill Him (cf. John 5:18; 7:19; 8:37).
Read John 8:41b-47… These Jews respond harshly to Jesus’ statement that they are
not sons of Abraham, they vehemently remark that they were not conceived through
some sinful act of fornication, but their father is God!
Note: It would seem that their indignation at Jesus remark brings a retaliatory implying
that Jesus’ birth, unlike their own, was illegitimate [i.e., no earthy father,
born to a virgin] (cf. 8:48).
Jesus now (verse 42) removes all doubt from what He earlier implied in John 8:38,
41. Jesus came from the Father in heaven to show and to speak what the Father has
given Him to speak. They do not understand what He is saying, because their Father
the devil, was a murderer and liar from the beginning (see John 8:43-44).
Jesus is speaking here about the Garden of Eden, in the very beginning, when
Satan tempted Adam and Eve through lies and deception (cf. Genesis 3:1-7), saying
that God had lied to them, that they would not die when they disobeyed and they ate the
fruit, but instead, they would be like God, knowing good and evil. And so the curse of
sin entered our world.
Satan is the father of lies, the Jews show themselves to be his children; the devil’s
native language is lying; no wonder the Jews can’t understand nor accept what Jesus is
telling them, for He speaks the truth (see John 8:45).
The Son of God only speaks the truth, He is the truth; there is nothing false or
deceitful in Him, He is sinless. In John 8:46, Jesus’ challenges them to prove Him
guilty of any sin, which of course they cannot do.
2Corinthians 5:21 says Jesus “had no sin,” Hebrews 4:15 says He was “without
sin,” Hebrews 7:26 says Jesus was “holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners,” and
1Peter 2:22 says He “committed no sin.”
The Jews couldn’t prove Jesus guilty of anything, yet they still wouldn’t believe Him
[Gk. Jesus, Heb. Yeshua = God’s Salvation]; therefore, as Jesus earlier told them, they
would indeed die in their sins because of unbelief.
Back in John 5:25, Jesus declared to them, “I tell you the truth, a time is coming and
has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear
will live.” Spiritual deafness among the Jews was rampant and the ultimate
consequence is (John 8:47), “He who belongs to God hears what God says. The
reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”
Children of God spend eternity with God in heaven. Children of Satan spend
eternity with Satan in hell. Where you spend eternity, is determined by how you
respond to Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Lord and Savior.
1John 5:11-13, “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in
his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not
have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that
you may know that you have eternal life.”

Pastor Mike
<‘(((><

Bible Text: John 8:24-32 | Pastor: Pastor Mike | Series: John |

04-15-2018

The Truth Will Set you Free!

John 8:24-32

In John 8:24, Jesus says to the crowd, “unless you believe that I am, you will indeed die in your sins.”

The Hebrew theonym [name for God] is written with four letters [tetragrammaton], expressed in Latin as YHWH which is transliterated [spoken] as Yahweh. But most orthodox Jews would never pronounce this name, instead, they would substitute one of several Hebrew terms that are expressed in English as The Holy One, Blessed Be He, The Lord, The Name.

Sermon Notes:

In John 8:24, Jesus says to the crowd, “unless you believe that I am, you will
indeed die in your sins.”
The Hebrew theonym [name for God] is written with four letters
[tetragrammaton], expressed in Latin as YHWH which is transliterated [spoken] as
Yahweh. But most orthodox Jews would never pronounce this name, instead, they
would substitute one of several Hebrew terms that are expressed in English as The
Holy One, Blessed Be He, The Lord, The Name.
Everyone who rejects God’s Son will go to hell when they physically die;
everyone who believes in and receives Christ as Lord, will go to heaven when they
physically die (2Corinthians 5:8), “We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be
away from the body and at home with the Lord.”
Read John 8:25-30… These Jews had received more than enough proof that Jesus
came from God the Father to do His will; in fact, Jesus repeatedly made it clear that
He was the Messiah (See Luke 4:16-21).
These religious leaders (John 8:27) “don’t understand that [Jesus] is telling
them about His Father,” even though Jesus already told them that the Father is the
One who sent Him (see John 8:16-18).
Scripture is clear, the Father’s plan was to send His Son to release us from sin’s
penalty/condemnation.
John 3:16, “For God [the Father] so loved the world that He gave His one and only
Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
John 3:18, “Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not
believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of
God’s one and only Son.”
Jesus made full payment, for our sins, so that we would not have to be punished
in hell for eternity; but instead, we would be granted life eternal through His death
and resurrection (Romans 3:23; 6:23, 5:8).
2Corinthians 5:21, “God made Him [Jesus] who had no sin to be sin for us, so
that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”
Again (John 8:28), “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will
know that I am,” i.e., you will know that I am [who I have been claiming to be],
the One who came from the Father, to die for the sins of all people (Hebrews
9:26), “Christ has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin
by the sacrifice of Himself.” (see Hebrews 10:1-10).
All those who repent, believing and following Christ, are granted eternal life, and
even though they will most likely die physically, they can never die spiritually, in
other words, Christians don’t remain dead.
John 11:25-26, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live,
even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in Me will never die.”
God provides temporary physical life [Gr. bios] to everyone on earth; but He
provides eternal spiritual life [zoe] to all who believe in His Son, for we are (John
1:13), “born of God,” (John 3:8), “born of the Spirit.”
The Son of God [The Word of God, John 1:1-2] is One with [equal to] the
Father, yet He was submissive to the Father while in human flesh (John 8:29),
Jesus says, “I always do what pleases Him [The Father].”
John 8:30 says, “Even as He [Jesus] spoke, many [of those in the crowd] put
their faith [belief] in Him.”
We are all going to die physically, some day; but if you die rejecting Jesus Christ
as Lord and Savior, you “die in your sins” to awaken condemned by God in Hell!
But, there is a way to reconcile our sinful nature with the Holy, Righteous and
Just God of Creation; for Jesus turns no one away, He forgives anyone and
everyone who repents of their sin and believes in Him for salvation.
Jesus loves you and has a marvelous plan for your life here on earth, and your
life in heaven.
Jeremiah 29:11-14, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD,
‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You
will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.”
Romans 10:9-10, “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in
your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your
heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess
and are saved.”
Read John 8:31-32… To believe in is to have faith in Him; belief and faith in
Jesus Christ sets us free; but not all belief is equal to saving faith.
These Jews (verse 31) who are said to have “believed in Him,” are later, in this
chapter (cf. 8:37-47) said to be children of the devil, not of God.
Believing certain facts does not equate to saving faith. James 2:17 says, “faith
by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” In fact, in verse 18 James
writes, “But someone will say, ‘You have faith; I have deeds.’ Show me your faith
without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.”
In the parable of the sower (Luke 8:13), the rocky soil is said to be those who
“receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe
for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away.”
Genuine faith will produce a changed life; not like the Jews in John 8:31a,
whose “belief” was shallow and so they fell away, like those John speaks of in
1John 2:19, “They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if
they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going
showed that none of them belonged to us.”
A born-again relationship with Jesus Christ sets us free from sin’s curse, while
removing any threat of eternal judgement because of sin (Romans 8:1),
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,
because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of
sin and death.”
Grace and truth comes through Jesus Christ to everyone who repents of sin and
submits to the Lordship of Christ (honoring and obeying God’s Word).
Romans 6:18-22, “You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to
righteousness. I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural
selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to
ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading
to holiness. When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of
righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now
ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free
from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness,
and the result is eternal life.”
To die in your sins (John 8:24) is to die apart from the free gift of forgiveness
and eternal life that has come through Jesus Christ, for He is (John 14:6) “the way
and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through [Him].”
Jesus is the Word of God, the living, revealed, and eternal Word of God. When
you believe in and confess Him as Lord and Savior, you (John 8:32) “will know the
truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Pastor Mike
<‘(((><

Bible Text: Acts 1:1-5 | Pastor: Pastor Mike |

04-08-2018

Being Witnesses like John

Acts 1:1-5

You and I will not (this side of heaven) hear, see, or touch Jesus, as did John; but we are just as responsible to bear witness and testify about Christ as John did.

You and I must allow the truth of God’s Word to change us internally, if we expect for the changes to have an effect externally, where people see us.

It is my prayer that, in the weeks and months to come, we will all increase in our desire to know, to grow in, to stand upon, and to declare, the Message of God through Christ to all who will listen; only God can give peace that surpasses all understanding, only God can forgive sins, only God can grant eternal life, and only God can enable and empower us to be His witnesses.

Sermon Notes:

4.08.18 ~ “Being Witnesses like John”
See Acts 1:1-5… Former book? Theophilus? [loved by God] (cf. Luke 1:1-4) Most
excellent? Title for a Roman Official, influential Gentile, lawyer defending Paul.
Luke provides a legal brief and testimony of Christ’s life, death, resurrection (Paul –
Felix Acts 23:26; 24:3; Festus 26:25).
There were 10 appearances of Christ recorded during the 40-days between His
resurrection and His ascension:
1. Mary Magdalene at the tomb (Mark 16:9; John 20:11-18)
2. The women leaving the tomb (Matthew 28:9-10)
3. Two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-32), one named Cleopas
4. Peter (1Corinthians 15:5; Luke 24:33-34)
5. Ten disciples, Thomas absent (Luke 24:36-43; Mark 16:14; John 20:19-25)
6. Eleven disciples, Thomas present (John 20:26-29)
7. Seven disciples by the Sea of Galilee (John 21:1-14)
8. 500 disciples on a mountain in Galilee (1Corinthians 15:6; Matthew 28:16)
9. James (1Corinthians 15:7)
10. The apostles at Christ’s ascension back into heaven (Acts 1:10-11).
See Mark 1:1-5… John called people to confess and repent of sin, as they were
immersed in water, so as to identify their need for forgiveness, basically saying,
“God help me, I’m a sinner!” 8, John’s baptism of repentance, is contrasted with
Jesus’ baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 6:3-4, “Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ
Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with Him through
baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through
the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”
Spiritual baptism immerses [places] us into the Body of Christ by the Holy
Spirit, setting us apart as God’s children, when we confess our sins and believe in
Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord (John 1:12-13; Romans 10:9-10; Ephesians
1:13-14; 1Corinthians 12:13).
At salvation we are spiritually placed into the Body of Christ, of which
(Colossians 1:18), “He [Jesus] is the head of the body, the church.”
See Acts 1:6-8… Jesus’ followers wanted Him to rule over Israel now; Jesus tells
them the kingdom will come, but before it does, the gospel message of forgiveness
and salvation will be preached to all the world.
The followers of Christ are the ones who are to testify to the Truth of God’s
forgiveness and eternal life through His One and Only Son, Jesus Christ.
See Acts 1:9-11… Jesus returns to heaven, His followers must wait for the power
and presence of God to come to them at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4), when they would
receive God’s Spirit, equipping and enabling them to serve as eye witnesses of
God’s divine plan and provision through Christ.
See Matthew 28:19-20… The Greek word used in verse 19 is matheteuo [make
disciples], with the meaning of believing, learning, and following; saving faith
brings obedience; if you believe, you will seek to behave!
Genuine belief in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior brings immediate salvation
(death to life), immediate spiritual baptism (relationship with the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Spirit), and immediate discipleship (believing, following, and learning
God’s Word); for the purpose of going and proclaiming it to unbelievers, because
they won’t be coming to us.
We are to immerse those who confess Christ into everything the Bible says
about Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them God’s Word: equipping,
encouraging and exhorting them to serve God with their lives (Romans 12:1-2;
2Timothy 3:16-17).
True salvation obeys God’s Word, honors the Father, exemplifies the Son, and
walks in the power of the Holy Spirit, reaching out with the Love of God – the
Message of Christ – to all who will hear and believe.
See 1John 1:1-3… John was an eyewitness to what Jesus said and did, including
His death and resurrection. John was not only an Apostle, but he was one of
Christ’s most intimate followers and friends, along with Peter & James.
Notice how John states that he personally (and the other Apostles) has heard,
has seen, and has touched Christ during His earthly ministry – both before and after
His resurrection.
John says God came in flesh, providing forgiveness and eternal life. John
declares that we have genuine fellowship with the Father through Christ, therefore,
we believe, obey and teach what is recorded here.
1John was written 50-60 years after Christ’s death, resurrection and ascension;
and yet, John has a vivid recollection of what Jesus did and said. How is that
possible? (see John 14:15-17, 25-26).
John’s first-person testimony about God’s Son in human flesh, is very
important, especially in light of all the false teachers of that day who arrogantly
and erroneously proclaimed about a Christ they did not know or believe in, let
alone had they seen, heard, or touched him; much like false teachers today who
teach heresy.
John 20:29-31, “‘Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are
those who have not seen and yet have believed.’ Jesus did many other miraculous
signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But
these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,
and that by believing you may have life in His name.”
You and I, as God’s people, are His ambassadors, our purpose is to testify to
others about Jesus Christ, as we prayerfully communicate with God, reading,
studying and applying His Word to our life, learning to trust Him for what we need
and thanking Him for all that He provides for us.
Everyone who genuinely seeks forgiveness for their sins has eternal life and
fellowship with God the Father through Christ the Son (see 2Corinthians
5:18-21).
God’s people are to be witnesses, as was John; we must be ready to share the
message of Christ with anyone and everyone who will listen.
God’s people are messengers; Christ is the Message. God’s people are “table
waiters” or servers, Christ is the Bread of Life and the Living Water, freely given.
God has provided all the necessary resources, so that anyone can know Him
personally and intimately:
The Bible records and reveals the truth of God’s plan, purpose, and provision
through Jesus Christ, for He is the only means of salvation.
John 14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father
except through Me.”
The Holy Spirit convicts us that we are all sinners, in need of the Savior.
John 16:8-9, “When He comes, He will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin
and righteousness and judgment: because men do not believe in Me.”
The Believer testifies to God’s truth [the Bible] by the power of the Holy Spirit,
proclaiming that everyone who genuinely repents and trusts in Christ belongs to
God and is saved by God (see Romans 10:13-15).
Jesus said (John 10:27-28), “My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and
they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.”
How does your personal witness [your life] reflect God’s presence, power, and
pleasure? Are you following and witnessing for Christ? Are you eager to do so?
1Peter 2:12, “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse
you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He
visits us.” 15, “For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the
ignorant talk of foolish men.”
You and I will not (this side of heaven) hear, see, or touch Jesus, as did John;
but we are just as responsible to bear witness and testify about Christ as John did.
You and I must allow the truth of God’s Word to change us internally, if we
expect for the changes to have an effect externally, where people see us.
It is my prayer that, in the weeks and months to come, we will all increase in
our desire to know, to grow in, to stand upon, and to declare, the Message of God
through Christ to all who will listen; only God can give peace that surpasses all
understanding, only God can forgive sins, only God can grant eternal life, and only
God can enable and empower us to be His witnesses
1Peter 3:15, “in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give
an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you
have. But do this with gentleness and respect.”
And all God’s people said? Amen!

Pastor Mike ~ <‘(((><