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Our worship this Sunday centered on Jesus, who comforts us in our grief and assures us of his authority over the grave. In our sermon passage, Jesus weeps with others at the tomb of Lazarus, but then calls him forth from the grave, that we might believe that he is the resurrection and the life.

Our worship this Sunday centered on Jesus, who builds the house of God by turning the hearts of people to himself.

Our worship this Sunday morning was centered on Jesus, our only hope in the face of death. Jesus intentionally allowed Lazarus’s death then resurrected him in the face of death for the sake of our faith in him.

Our worship this Sunday was centered on Jesus' divine nature as the Son of God. In John 10:30, Jesus said “I and the Father are one.” He is one with and sent by the Father and therefore he assures us that we are his forever (John 10:27-29) because his works are the works of God (John 10:32-38).

Our worship this morning was focused on Jesus as the Good Shepherd. In John 10:1-21, he contrasts himself with thieves and hired hands, calls his own sheep by name, and lays down his life for them of his own accord. We come to hear his voice and to follow him.

Our worship this Sunday focuses on Jesus as the giver of true sight. In John 9 Jesus heals a blind man who becomes a sign to those who do not believe and reveals that they are the ones who are truly blind.

John 8:39-59 Our sermon text this morning is John 8:39-59. In the provided pew Bibles, you can find that on page 1063. This is a continuation of Jesus' dialog with the Pharisees. In our verses last week, Jesus told them that true disciples would know the truth and the truth would set them free. Remember, he was speaking about knowing him and being set free from slavery to sin. Well, the Pharisees did not think they were enslaved to anything. Because they were physical descendants of Abraham, they believed they were in right standing before God. In response, Jesus made it absolutely clear that they were not true sons but rather slaves. Jesus alluded to the fact that they had a different father. As I read, be listening for who their father truly was. Reading of John 8:39-59 Prayer I'm not proud of this, but when I was in elementary school, I often did not want to listen to my sister. And so, I would plug my ears and sometimes I would also say over and over "I can't hear you. I can't hear you." By the way, that had the side effect of irritating her. Honestly, it was very immature. I'm thankful for the Lord's work in my heart over time. But it is true that sometimes we just don’t want to listen. We don't literally plug our ears, but we sometimes walk away or just dismiss everything that someone else says. We see that on display in public. Sometimes, people walk out of speeches on purpose like at college graduations. Other times, people heckle to distract the speaker and prevent other people from hearing. Honestly, those tactics say more about the people protesting than the one speaking. Well, in our verses today, it's as if the Pharisees had their ears plugged. They did not want to listen to anything that Jesus said. Jesus even pointed that out to them. Look at verse 43. He said, "you cannot bear to hear my words." And at the end of verse 47, Jesus said, "The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God." That's pretty intense. Really, this whole dialog, as you heard, is very intense. In fact, in the narrative arc of John's Gospel, chapter 8 is the climax of the verbal conflict between Jesus and the Jews. It began back in chapter 5 when Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath. It continued in chapter 6 when Jesus claimed to be the manna from heaven because he is the Son of God. It escalated in chapter 7 when Jesus declared that he was living water bringing eternal life. And now in chapter 8, Jesus and the Pharisees have come to this heated confrontation. To be sure, I'm not saying that these verses are the climax of the conflict. No, that will happen in the immediate lead-up to the cross. Rather, these verses are the climax of their interaction. And in the back and forth, we learn who is truly driving the Pharisees' anger and hate, and that is the devil himself. So, let's consider this text. We'll do that in three points this morning. 1. The Fight Over Fatherhood - you know, who is the Pharisees' real father and why? 2. The One Greater than Abraham - Jesus declares that he himself is God 3. The Triumph of Abraham's True Descendants - who are the true descendants of Abraham, and what benefit do they receive? That's where we are headed. 1. The Fight Over Fatherhood (8:39-50, 52) Again, #1, the Fight Over Fatherhood As you heard, Abraham is a central figure in the conflict. According to the Pharisees, because they were Abraham's physical offspring, they considered themselves God's people, with God as their ultimate father. But, as you heard, Jesus made very clear that they were not acting as true sons of Abraham. Jesus essentially gave them two reasons. ·      First, they were not doing the works that Abraham did. He said that right there in verse 39. Jesus then pointed to the Pharisees' desire to kill him. Their murderous desires betrayed Abraham. Abraham was a man of deep faith and he demonstrated that many times. He lived out his faith. Abraham responded to God's commands. Abraham's true spiritual children would not be acting like the Pharisees. ·      Second, not only were they not doing the works that Abraham did, but they were also not honoring God. The Pharisees were not listening to his word, as I mentioned earlier. They would not even consider that perhaps Jesus was the Messiah. Later in our text, Jesus made it absolutely clear that they were dishonoring God the Father by dishonoring him. That was very different from Abraham. Multiple times in Abraham's life, God spoke to him. Abraham humbled himself and listened to God and his word. Abraham lived out his faith by hearing God and believing. Now, just to be sure, Abraham was a sinner, but he sought the Lord by faith. The Pharisees, on the other hand, had no faith and no desire to seek the Lord. And for those reasons, Jesus declared that their true father was the devil. The Pharisees demonstrated through their lies and deceit and murderous hearts that they were not of Abraham, they were not of God, but rather, they were of the devil. In response, the Pharisees lashed out at Jesus. They questioned Jesus' origin. They told Jesus that he was a Samaritan, whom the Pharisees hated, and they accused Jesus of having a demon. Do you see how the conflict has reached new heights? A couple of times in the past, we've talked about how the Gospel of John is written like a play. Each chapter is like a new scene. You know, the curtain opens; the audience sees a new setting; we then witness Jesus speaking to different people. In each scene, Jesus reveals who he is in different ways. Well, for the apostle John's Jewish audience, every new scene challenged their understanding of God and Jesus and the purpose of their Jewish practices and beliefs. I want you to imagine that you are a Jew in the late first century. Imagine that you are hearing this for the first time. And imagine how shocking this interaction would have been. I mean, the tension had been escalating, but then Jesus drops the bomb in verse 44: "You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him." Think about how that would have come across. The Pharisees were the Jewish authorities. And yet, Jesus called them out as having the devil as their father. You see, the Apostle John was pressing against his readers' presuppositions and beliefs. He wanted them to re-evaluate everything. He wanted them to see that the very one at the center of it all is truly the promised One, the Son of God. John wanted them to know that there is no place for neutrality. Now, you may be sitting here, and you may be thinking, "Ok, but I don’t live in the first century and I'm not Jewish. Why does this matter?" Let me try to answer that. In John's Gospel, the unbelieving Pharisees are the main antagonists. Really, they are the antagonists in all the Gospels. But their unbelief is representative of any and all outright rejection of Christ… back then and today. Not only do they not know God, they are hostile to him. They do not care to listen. Their hearts are full of murder and lies. Jesus is their enemy. They hate him and hate those that love him. On the outside, they are religious, but their religion is driven by the devil whose goal is to undermine the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Their opposition to Jesus is the same opposition to Jesus that we see in different ways today. We see that opposition in false religions. We see a similar rejection in the hearts of those opposed to God and opposed to truth and opposed to his standard of right and wrong. That includes those who present a perversion of who Jesus is or reject his divine or human nature. And it is all driven by the devil. You see, we are engaged in a cosmic battle of light versus darkness. It's a battle of the truth of God versus the lies and murders of the great enemy of faith. The hard thing for us is that we live in a time and place where the Christian ethic is still relatively strong. And so, we sometimes don't see the spiritual battle that is raging. In our culture, the light and darkness can sometimes appear to blend together to produce shades of grey. When that happens, it is harder to see and distinguish the light from the darkness. But what we learn in John 8 is that the dividing line is still there. Discerning right and wrong is still at the center of pursuing truth. Good and evil are no less real today than they were in the first century. The devil is still breathing his lies and spreading unbelief as he was in the hearts of these Pharisees. There are plenty of people today who outright reject Jesus, who reject God the Father, and who live a life opposed to him. They are like the Pharisees, unknowingly driven by the father of lies. The devil is at work all throughout the world, some places more than others. As the Scriptures say, he prowls around like a roaring lion seeking whom he can devour. We need to be aware that there is both God the Father, the father of truth and light and life, who gave his Son; and there is also the father of lies and murder, the devil himself. He hates God and hates the truth and he seeks to undermine Jesus and the Gospel. Now, there is no comparison in who has true authority and who will conquer the other in the end. That is the one true Father, but for now he has given the devil room to lie and deceive the world. 2. The One Greater than Abraham (8:53-59) Ok. That brings us to point #2 - The One Greater than Abraham. In these verses, Jesus makes absolutely clear who he truly is. It's unmistakable. Remember, the Pharisees were the ones who originally brought up Abraham. But then Jesus turned the tables on them. Because the Pharisees rejected him, Jesus made it very clear, as we considered, that they were not true descendants of Abraham. And part of Jesus' argument included his claim that he was the Son of God and that his Father w

Turn in your Bibles to John 8:31-38. If you are using a pew Bible, you can find that on page 1063 Really verses 31 to the end of the chapter is one unified narrative. It is a very intense interaction between Jesus and the Pharisees. There's a lot in there, so rather than taking the entire section, we are going to start with the first 8 verses. As I read, you'll hear that the Pharisees reminded Jesus that they were offspring of Abraham. This morning, we'll briefly consider their misunderstanding of what that means. Next week, we'll get into who the descendants of Abraham truly are. Let's now come to God's very word. Reading of John 8:31-38 Prayer If I were to ask what the most well-known verse is in John, you would probably agree: John 3:16. We covered it a few months ago. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not what? perish, but… what? have everlasting life. You know it well. But what would be the second most well-known verse in John? I suspect it would be John 8:32. "You will know the truth and the truth will set you free." Not only is it very well known, but it is the motto of at least 30 universities. That is, if you can trust Wikipedia. John 8:32 is furthermore inscribed on countless courthouses and public libraries. The most famous inscription is found in the CIA's headquarters in Langley, Virginia. The King James version is etched in stone in the main lobby, "And Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." I would say, John 8:32 is not only one of the most well-known verses, it is also one of the most misinterpreted verses. Some verses in the Bible like John 3:16 can pretty much stand on their own, but other verses like John 8:32 can easily be misapplied. That is because some words have multiple meanings based on their context. Other words are pretty straightforward, so it depends on the verse. And I suspect if you asked 100 people who attend a university with this motto, you would get 100 different answers as to its meaning. And I bet none of them would correctly explain what Jesus meant in John 8. Now, I am not saying that truth in a general sense does not bring freedom. Certainly, it can in a court case when someone who's innocent is charged with a crime. The truth can bring freedom. I'm just saying that this specific verse is often used in a way that Jesus did not intend. The problem is really three-fold. ·      First, who is the verse referring to? Who is the "you" of "you shall know the truth." Most people would probably say that the "you" refers to themselves. However, Jesus had a very specific group of people in mind. ·      Second, what is the word "truth" referring to? Talk about a word that is used in a variety of different ways, "truth" can mean many things, but what does it mean here? ·      And third, and probably the most misunderstood, what does it mean that the truth will set you free? We all want to be free, but the freedom that most people think of when they hear or read John 8:32, it is not the kind of freedom that Jesus was referring to. No, the freedom to which Jesus was referring is far more freeing than what comes to people's minds. So, there is a big problem in the use of this verse, but the good news is that the answers are pretty straight forward. My goal by this morning is that you will not only walk away with a clear understanding of verse 32, but also that you leave compelled in your heart about what it really means. Now, I want to say something else before we begin. If you forget everything else about this sermon, I want you to remember this. Implied in everything I just said is that passages in the Bible have meaning. They have a meaning that God intended for his inspired Word. We cannot just take a verse or passage out of context and come up with our own understanding of what it means. No, as we read the Bible, we are seeking to understand why it was originally written, how and why specific words are used, and how it all ties into the broader Scriptural context. Once we do that work, then we can seek to best apply it to our lives and the church today. In fact, that is our goal in all our sermons and all our Bible studies. I'm bringing that up today because John 8:32 is a case study of how to and how not to interpret the Bible. With that said, let's get into it. We'll cover these verses with two simple points this morning: 1. You will know the truth 2. The truth will set you free Basically, we're going to unpack verse 32 and use the rest of our verses to understand it. 1. You will know the truth As we get into point #1, let me say that the definition of "you" is right there in verse 31. The you is referring to those who are truly Jesus' disciples. Listen to it again, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, etc." Let me put it this way. Verses 31 and 32 are for everyone, but they are not about everyone. They refer to people who are truly seeking to follow Jesus. And the reason that Jesus brought this up is that a very interesting thing was happening in Jerusalem. A lot of people were captivated by Jesus. He caused a stir and people wanted to see him and hear him and perhaps witness one of his miracles. If you go back to the end of verse 30, it says that many believed in him. However, there was a problem. Not everyone who believed was truly a believer. They were not truly his disciples. Do you remember when the Atlanta Falcons were in the Super Bowl? Can you believe that was 10 years ago? Will the Falcons ever get back there? But 10 years ago, it was exciting. All of a sudden there were Falcons fans coming out of the woodwork. It was like the whole metro Atlanta area became fans. Everyone was getting on the bandwagon. That is, until it all came crashing down. And if you remember, it was really bad. And what happened next? Well, those fair-weather fans suddenly were no longer fans at all. Their interest died just as quickly as it rose. They weren't truly Falcons fans. That's kind of like what was going on here. Many of the people were initially wowed by Jesus, but they quickly turned on him. In verse 31, it says that Jesus was speaking with Jews who had believed him. But look what happened in verse 33. They rejected what Jesus said. They said to him, "We… have never been enslaved to anyone." Even though they initially believed, they quickly rejected what he said. By the way, what they said is not even true! Their history was full of enslavement including to Egypt and Assyria and Babylon and to the Medo-Persians and the Greeks and now the Romans. They were clearly not Jesus' disciples. They were not part of the "you" of verse 32. Which brings us to an important question. What qualifies someone to be a true disciple? How is someone included in the "you" of verse 32? Well, we already read it. True disciples are those who abide in Jesus' word. This is not the first time that we have come across the word "abide." And it definitely won't be the last. Chapter 15 gives a full description of abiding in Jesus and him in you. It speaks of Jesus being the vine and us as the branches. Furthermore, when we are abiding in him, it is more than just believing, it is drawing from him as our source of life. It is taking hold of and embracing God's word in your life as true and as your guide. In fact, the word for "word" in verse 31 is the word logos. Do you remember that from chapter 1? In the beginning was the "logos" - the word. And the word was with God, the word was God… and do you remember how the apostle revealed who he was referring to? Chapter 1 verse 14, "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us…" So, when we are abiding in Jesus' word, we are abiding in him. The problem for the Jews was that they were not abiding in him or his word. Look at what Jesus said to them in verse 37. Even though Jesus agreed that they were the offspring of Abraham, he said, "my word [my logos] finds no place in you." You see, they thought they were safe. They thought that because they were descendants of Abraham, that they therefore were good with God. But they had a fundamental misunderstanding of what it means to know God and follow him. Just because someone lives in the Atlanta area, and watches one game, does not a Falcons fan one makes! No, it requires faith, and depending on the year, a lot of it! By the way, we've already, in a sense, considered the word "truth." If you abide in my "logos," you will know the truth. The "truth" in verse 32 is the truth of Jesus as the Son of God and the word of God. In other words, it is a very focused use of the word "truth." It centers itself on the revelation of God in Jesus Christ. So, when Jesus said, "you will know the truth," he was saying "you who abide in me and my word will know the truth of who I am as God the Son. You will know me." That is a definition of a true disciple. In fact, let me add this. One of the apostle John's goals in this book has been to reveal what a true disciple looks like. The picture of a true disciple has been on display all throughout, for example, chapter 1 when Jesus called his first disciples. They saw him, they heard him, they believed in him, they followed him, and they brought others to come and see him. Do you remember that? Furthermore, a true disciple is someone born again (chapter 3), someone who's given new life and washed by the water of the Spirit and Word. A true disciple believes by faith that Jesus is the living water who brings eternal life (chapter 4) and the spiritual bread from heaven (chapter 6). Do you see how John has been giving his readers an unfolding picture of true discipleship? And part of revealing who a true disciple is, includes revealing who are not disciples. They don't believe. They don’t abide. And it doesn’t matter that they are physical descendants of Abraham. If they are not abiding in him,

John 8:12-30 - I AM the Light Our sermon text this morning is John 8:12-30. But before we get there, let me make a few comments. You may have noticed that we are skipping the last verse of chapter 7 through verse 11 of chapter 8. Your Bibles likely have a bracketed note that those are not in the earliest manuscripts. That is true, but rather than just quickly move on, let me provide a little more explanation. And I'll do that with 3 reasons why we're skipping them. And then 3 reasons not to be concerned about the New Testament's reliability. 1. The main reason we are skipping them is because those verses did not appear in manuscripts until the 5th century. In fact, in one branch of manuscripts found, they didn't appear until the 8th and 9th centuries. None of the earliest manuscripts of John's Gospel have them. 2. The story interrupts the flow of chapter 7 and 8. We've already seen that chapter 7 has been about evaluating Jesus' teaching and self-identity as the Son of God. We'll see that theme continue in our verses this morning. The verses in question are a little out of place. Furthermore, our verses today continue the context of the Feast of Booths, so they line up very well with chapter 7, but this interim passage does not. 3. And I think the most compelling. There are about 14 words or phrases that are not found anywhere else in John's Gospel or his letters. So, there are some significant stylistic differences in the disputed passage. It's likely not written by the apostle John. Now, I do believe that the account of the woman caught in adultery actually happened. I think it's likely a story that John or other disciples recounted. It's just that it is very unlikely to be a part of God's inspired Word. But let me say, if this is causing you to be concerned about the rest of the New Testament, let me put you at ease. 1. First, there are only 2 major sections of verses in the New Testament that are disputed. This one and a few paragraphs at the end of Mark's Gospel for similar reasons. 2. Second, it is amazing how consistent the rest of the New Testament manuscripts are. At Easter, I spent several minutes discussing the 5,800 manuscripts and just how consistent they are. 99.9 percent of the differences are minor - word order and spelling and none affect a core doctrine of faith. Also, a couple of years ago during our apologetics Sunday school class, we had a whole class talking through the veracity of the manuscripts. Our website has the recordings of those if you are interested. 3. Third, there is a big misconception that the New Testament was orally passed down. That is simply not true. In 2 Timothy 4:13, Paul requests his books and "above all" his parchments. They are very valuable to him. Many believe the parchments were copies of his letters. New Testament letters were copied at the time they were written. Similarly, the four Gospels were also copied almost immediately for the express purposes of distributing them. And let me say one more thing. Many of the New Testament manuscripts are in book form rather than a scroll. That book form is called a codex. And interestingly, some codexes were clearly transcribed for the public reading of Scripture. They were bigger with bigger writing. Other codexes were in a smaller personal form, like for a family or individual. Early Christians loved their books and preserved them well. So, be encouraged. Ok, let's now get into chapter 8 verses 12-30. You can find that on page 1062? of the pew Bible. Our reading includes the second of seven "I am" statements in the book of John. The first was in chapter 6. Jesus said, "I am the bread of life." And here he says, "I am the light of the world." As I read, listen for the phrase "I am." You'll hear it several times. Reading of John 8:12-30 and prayer. Last week, we considered how some aspects of the Feast of Tabernacles emphasized water. Remember that? Part of the ceremonies included recalling how God miraculously gave them water in the wilderness. We saw how Jesus keyed off of the theme of water when he called out for the people to come to him and drink. Well, water was only one aspect of the Feast. Light was another. This annual festival happened somewhere between late-September and mid-October. Just like we experience, the daylight hours were getting shorter and shorter. And at the end of every day of the feast, the priests would light four massive oil filled candelabra. These were elaborate bowls which had about 27 gallons of oil and had dozens of cloth wicks drawing from the oil. The four candelabra were elevated on very tall pedestals and spread out in the largest courtyard of the temple. The pedestals towered above the temple walls. After sunset, young Levites would climb ladders and light every single wick in each of the bowl. For the boys here, can you imagine how fun that would be? I'm sure it was the highlight of the year for them. Well, all the flames produced a massive amount of light. Remember, the temple area was elevated. And furthermore, the city of Jerusalem sloped up the western hill from the temple. So, from much of the city you could see these tall pedestals. The light was cast all throughout the city. Let me read a short description from the Jewish Mishna about this. It says "The light from the candelabra was so bright that there was not a courtyard in Jerusalem that was not illuminated from the light." Even thought it was night, it was bright. Now, look at verse 20. We learn that Jesus was speaking in part of the temple area called the treasury. Well, the treasury was right there. The treasury was where alms were donated, and it was in the same large courtyard with these elevated bowls of fire. So, Jesus was right there, teaching. We're not told what time of day it was when he spoke these words, but think about the context and listen again. Verse 12, "Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'" It was clear and it was understandable. And the people could visualize it based on what they were experiencing that week. And really, I think everything in this passage in some way ties back to those opening words in verse 12. "I AM the light of the world" So, let's get into what Jesus says here. We'll do that in three points. 1. I AM the Light of Life 2. I AM the True Witness and Judge 3. I AM the Savior (repeat) 1. I AM the Light of Life As we get into #1, let me make one more connection to the feast of Tabernacles. As you may recall, this festival was a remembrance of what God had done for the Israelites in the wilderness. That is why God directed them to make temporary booths and live in them for the week. God had provided for them as they journeyed. Similarly, the water ceremony recalled God's provision of water from the rock that Moses was commanded to strike. Well, the light ceremony was a reminder of God leading them in the wilderness through a pillar of cloud during the day and a pillar of fire at night. The lights at the festival symbolized God and how he miraculously led them. So when Jesus said, "I am the Light of the World," he was claiming that he was the very God whose presence was with them in the wilderness and who led them. That's why he said, "whoever follows me will not walk in darkness." You see, it was all connected to the light of Yahweh, the Covenant God. He guided the people and protected the people. He was the light of life for them. Jesus was saying, I am he. Isaiah 60 would also have come to mind to them. It's where Yahweh declares that he is the light. Much of that chapter is about the light, and in verse 19, the prophet Isaiah wrote, "the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory." So, not only was Jesus saying he was the light, but in doing so, he was claiming to be the God himself. Another shocking thing about Jesus' statement was that not only is he a light for the Jews, but he is the light for the entire world. As you can imagine, Jesus' claim in verse 12 deeply disturbed the Pharisees. But as Jesus dialoged with them, it got even more disturbing. Jesus continued making unmistakable claims that he is God. In fact, right after saying he is the light of life, he also said, "I am from above." And he goes on to claim that he will return there, you know, to heaven. Now, the Pharisees at first didn’t understand. It didn't make sense to them. They could not grasp what Jesus meant. But if he wasn't clear enough, Jesus then made absolutely clear what he meant. And it is captured in Jesus' "I AM statements."   Before we read, I asked you to listen for the phrase "I am." Did you hear it all throughout? Jesus said, I am the light of the world. I am the light of life. I am the one. I am from above. I am not of this world. Well, there are two "I AM" statements that I want to especially point out. Look at verse 24. Jesus said, "I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins." I am He. That same phrase is also there in verse 28. "I am he." In the Greek, however, there is no pronoun. It's just "I am." It's "Ego Eimi." We've come across this now in John, I think, 3 times. We're going to come across it again in a couple of weeks. It is a direct reference to the Hebrew "Yahweh." Jesus could not have been clearer with them. I am the light of the world because I am Yahweh. I am God. I am the creator God, the redeemer God, the God of Israel and indeed the God of the world. You know, as we have made our way through the Gospel of John, we have been given an increasingly clear description of Jesus in his divine nature. He is the light of the world and the light of life, because he is the eternal God of heaven and earth. He came from heaven to be a light of life, and he will return to heaven calling the world to follow him out of darkness and sin. He is THE light.

John 7:37-52 Please turn to John chapter 7. We'll be considering verses 37-52 this morning. You can find that on page 1062. The context of chapter 7 has been the Feast of Booths - also called the Feast of Tabernacles. It was one of the three major festivals in the Jewish calendar, so there were lots of people in Jerusalem. Earlier in the chapter, Jesus appeared at the temple in the middle of the festival and began teaching. That caused a crowd to gather around him. And most of the crowd was amazed. They had heard of or seen Jesus' signs (or miracles)  but now they witnessed his teaching. In our text this morning, we will hear that it is now the end of the feast. Jesus called for people to come to him but, as you will hear, he received a mixed response. Some were intrigued but others all the more wanted to kill him. Reading of John 7:37-52 Prayer There's no doubt that water is THE foundation to our physical existence. Our bodies are made up of about 60% water. Without water, we cannot survive for more than a few days. Without water, crops cannot grow and animals cannot survive. But for us in our day and age, water is readily available. Even in drought situations, we manage pretty well. Farmers can pump water from the underground water table to water their crops. We can clean and store water from storm runoff. We can dam rivers and we can pump water from one region to another. The worst it gets here, is that we're told to only water our lawns on certain days. But if you lived in Jerusalem back in the first century, it was very different. They didn't have all the modern technologies to drill or store significant amounts of water. Given its geography high up in the mountains, Jerusalem didn't have any nearby rivers. The Kidron valley and brook were dry for most of the year. And so, the people really did rely on the seasons. They hoped and prayed for rain at certain times of the year. It's no wonder that Jesus used the concept of water to symbolize spiritual realities. Remember, we saw that first back in chapter 2 when Jesus turned water into wine, symbolizing his cleansing ministry. And again, we saw that in chapter 4, when Jesus told the woman at the well that she needed his living water and that when she drank it, she would never be thirsty again. He was speaking of the eternal life that she would receive through believing in him. Well, this morning we have a new spiritual reality symbolized by water. And that is the ministry of the Holy Spirit. He will be like rivers of living water flowing forth from our hearts. So, this morning we'll begin our time with that… with Jesus' teaching about the giving of the Spirit. That's verses 37-39. As we'll see in a minute, his analogy of water directly connects to what was happening at the Feast. And then second, we'll survey the responses to Jesus' teaching. That's verses 40-52. As you heard, out of people's hearts flowed very different responses to Jesus. That's where we are headed. #1 The Holy Spirit - the River of Living Water As we get into the verses about the Holy Spirit, let me first note that the Feast of Tabernacles was at the very end of the dry season. In fact, most years, it had not rained for months in the leadup to the festival. To be sure, Jerusalem did have a source of water. Their main source of water at the time was the Gihon Spring which they diverted into the Pool of Siloam. It was on the south side of the city about a third of a mile down from the temple. It was King Hezekiah about 700 years earlier who had a tunnel dug through the rock to reach the spring and divert the water to inside the city. Just a few years after he finished that, Assyria surrounded Jerusalem and attempted to cut off the supply lines, including water, but they did not know of the hidden water channel. And so, Jerusalem was able to endure. By the way, if you go to Jerusalem today, you can actually walk through Hezekiah's water tunnel. I did that several years ago with a friend. It's about 1/4 mile long and pretty narrow and the water is maybe 1-2 feet deep. At one point my friend snuck ahead, turned off his little flashlight and then, when I rounded a corner, he jumped out at me. I may or may not have been momentarily scared. Anyway, you end up at the Pool of Siloam - or a small portion of what remains. I'm telling you this because at the Feast of Booths, every day one of the priests would make his way down to the Pool of Siloam. Jewish literature records that he would dip a golden vessel into the pool, and he would make his way back to the Temple. The crowds would follow him as he passed through the lower gates into the temple area. Trumpets would sound as he ascended the temple steps. They would read from passages like Isaiah 12:3 which says, "with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation." That was our call to worship this morning. And then with great pomp, when the festival branches described in Leviticus 23 were waved, the priest would pour the fresh water onto the altar. A channel was made for that purpose, and it would drain to the base. The purpose of the water was a remembrance of God's provision of water in the wilderness. Remember, the Feast of Booths was about celebrating God's provision in the wilderness. That included water from the rock. God called Moses to strike a rock, and when he did, water flowed forth. Well, on the seventh day of the feast, Jewish literature also records that the water ceremony happened 7 times. 7 times the priest would fill the golden vessel from Siloam and return to the temple, and pour it onto the altar. By the seventh time, the water would have overflowed from the altar onto the temple floor. And while this was happening, the people were rejoicing, waving various branches while the trumpets sounded and the water flowed. It was on this day, the 7th day, called the great day, that Jesus stood up and cried out “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” We don’t know what time of day Jesus proclaimed these words, but the people would have had water on their minds. It was hot and dry. Likely it had not rained. Furthermore, they either anticipated the priests carrying the water to the altar or they just witnessed that event. They were thirsty - physically and spiritually. And Jesus cried out to them, calling them to come to him and drink. And not only would their spiritual thirst be quenched, but if they came and drank, rivers of living water, he said, would flow from them. The apostle John then adds a brief commentary that Jesus was referring to the Holy Spirit. Those who came to him would receive his Spirit, once he was glorified. Now, before we consider what that means for you and me, let me note 4 brief things. #1. Jesus quotes a Scripture which says, "Out of his heart [the one who believes] will flow rivers of living water." There's actually no single Old Testament passage directly matching the quote. However, several Old Testament texts parallel this idea. We read from Isaiah 44 earlier in the service. Verse 3 says, "I will pour water on a thirsty land" and then "I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring." Zechariah 14:8 was another one. It was also read during the Feast of Booths. It speaks of living water flowing out of Jerusalem. There are other passages like Ezekiel 47 and Isaiah 55 which are similar. In other words, the idea of living water connected to the Holy Spirit and salvation is very prevalent in the Old Testament. #2. Some Greek translators believe that the "rivers of living water" referenced here is the Holy Spirit being given out of Jesus' heart, not ours. They argue that phrase "whoever believes in me" is actually part of the invitation to drink and does not describe the one who has a river flowing from his heart. Honestly, there are some good arguments for that. Personally, I lean toward the translation we use. But I also think that even if this alternative is true, those who believe are still the recipients of the Holy Spirit. When we receive the Spirit, then our hearts will display forth the Spirit's ministry in us. So, in the end, I don’t think it really changes the impact. #3. The third thing I want to point out. The fact that verse 39 says that the Spirit would be given after Jesus was glorified does not minimize the Holy Spirit's work in the Old Testament. No. From the very beginning in Genesis 1, the Spirit was present. He was hovering over the waters. He was at work in the hearts and minds of the remnant of God's people - true Israel. The Spirit directed people to look forward to the Messiah who would come. The Apostle Peter in 1 Peter 1 tells us that the Spirit of Christ was at work in the prophets who testified beforehand about Christ's sufferings and glory. What is the difference, then? The giving of the Holy Spirit mentioned in verse 39 is the outpouring of the Spirit to all peoples, not just Israel, but every tribe, tongue, and nation. Furthermore, as the Spirit dwells in his people, he now applies the finished work of Christ to us. So, the difference is in the scope of the Holy Spirit's work and the fulness of salvation being applied. I think that's important to understand. #4 - the last brief comment. And this is related. When verse 39 speaks of Jesus' glorification, I'm guessing you have in mind Jesus' ascension to heaven where he now reigns. That's true. However, John's Gospel includes Jesus' death and resurrection as part of his glorification. We're going to see this very clearly when we get to chapter 12. We will see that Jesus finally tells his disciples that his hour HAS come. And what is that hour? Jesus tells them it is the hour of his glorification. He must die in order to be raised. So, as we think of the ministry of the Holy Spirit, we need to understand that he is applying Jesus' full ministry including his atonement f

This sermon focuses on the perfect judgment of God in his Word and through his works. In John 7:14–24, Jesus rebukes the Jewish leaders for judging his words (teaching) and works (healing) by self-serving and hypocritical motives rather than by judging from a pure heart with "right judgment" (John 7:24).

Bread of Life Part 2: Feasting unto Eternal Life Our sermon text this morning continues in the Gospel of John chapter 6. Please turn there with me. We'll focus on verses 37-59. That is on page ?? Again, John 6:37-59 These verses continue Jesus' explanation that he is the Bread of Life. In last week's verses, Jesus exhorted the Jews that they should not work for bread that perishes. Instead, they should believe in him because he is the bread of life. In this morning's text, Jesus will explain the meaning, the purpose, and the benefits of feeding on him. So, listen for those things as I read. Again, the meaning, the purpose, and the benefits. Reading of John 6:37-59 Prayer If you travel to southern Spain and visit the Pan Pina bakery, you could buy the most expensive bread in the world. For a single loaf you would spend about $2000. And it's a rather small loaf. It's often called Gold Leaf Bread because it is made with real gold flakes. It's edible gold, which some believe has medicinal benefits. It's made with specialty sour dough from hulled wheat which comes from an ancient grain that they have been maintaining all these years. The recipe includes powdered honey to give it a rich taste. And for presentation, gold leaves are not only baked into the bread but added to the crust to give it a beautiful glittering sheen. People travel from all over the world to taste and experience this one-of-a-kind gold bread. Now, I don’t think any of us here will ever buy or eat this gold leaf bread. I'm not even sure you would want to. But also, none of us needs to because we have bread that is infinitely more valuable. We've been offered the bread of life. I think you would agree that Jesus' statement that he's the bread of life is quite powerful. We all understand what bread is. It is the food staple of life. You know, we eat bread to give us energy and sustain us each day. As we talked about last week, the manna that the Israelites ate in the wilderness sustained them for 40 years. But the bread that Jesus offers, as he says, will sustain us for eternity. These verses are saturated with the language of eternal life and of eating of Jesus body. And of God the Father giving the Son those who will come to him and eat. It's very poetical. The apostle John has this way of weaving together themes. Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he'll introduce an idea and then move on to another related idea, but come back to further elaborate. And in the end, we're given a beautifully integrated message. Each part is strengthened by the other and in the end it's a unified whole. As I read our text, you probably sensed how different themes were introduced, then set aside, but later returned to with more detail. So, what I've tried to do is identify the different themes and then distill them into questions and answers. We'll be considering 4 questions this morning. 1. Who is the living bread? 2. For what purpose was he sent? 3. How do you feed on him and drink of him? 4. What blessings do you receive when you do feed on him? As I mentioned, these are not answered in a linear fashion one after the other. No, rather, as we work through these questions, we'll be looking at several phrases and verses which span our text. So that's where we are headed. 1. Who is the living bread? Which brings us to the first question. Who is this living bread? Or what does it actually mean that Jesus is the bread from heaven. The analogy is that Jesus is the manna from heaven. We saw that last week and we see it again here today. But let me say that it's more than just an analogy. The Old Testament uses what we call "types" to convey deeper realities. Types would be people, or events, or institutions, or objects in the Old Testament, which in some way prefigure or foreshadow Christ or some aspect of Salvation. By the way, the studying of these "types" is called Typology, or for short, Typos. When Amy was in the hospital about to birth to Nate, I happened to be reading a book on Typology. It was titled Typos, which is spelled typos. And a nurse said, "someone wrote a whole book on typos." King David was a type of Christ. That is, Jesus is in the line of David, he is King David's greater son. King David was fallen but Christ is greater as the sovereign and perfectly just king. The Passover is another type. That was the 10th plague in Egypt. The people of God were to put the blood of the lamb over their doorposts. It was a sign of faith, and if they did that, the angel of death would pass over them, and their firstborn would not die. The Passover is also a type of Christ. It focuses on Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. By his blood, death will pass over those who believe by faith. Well, in John 6, Jesus is described as manna from heaven. Think about it. In the wilderness, the Israelites called the manna, bread from heaven. Why? Well, because the manna would fall from the sky with the dew and form bread like wafers on the ground. In the same way, the Son of God descended from heaven like the manna. He became man in the person of Jesus Christ. The manna was real bread. Jesus has a real body. The manna sustained the people for years. In a similar way Jesus sustains us as spiritual bread from heaven. AND we're to eat of him, just like the people at the manna. We'll get to what that means in a minute. But overall, Jesus is the greater manna. The manna in the wilderness foreshadowed Jesus as the true bread from heaven, as these verses say. Ok, now, look at verses 41-43. The crowd that gathered to hear him, grumbled. Why did they grumble? Well, because Jesus was saying that he was bread from God come down from heaven. And the Jews were like, wait a second, this is Jesus. We know his parents. How can he be from God? He was born of Mary. They were complaining because they thought it was a contradiction. How could Jesus be born and at the same time be from heaven? However, in reality Jesus's birth further demonstrated that he fulfilled the promise of manna. He was God from above who descended to become man. His birth was the avenue through which he took on human flesh and became living bread… true bread. He is one of us. He is both God and man, which is exactly how he's the manna from heaven. So, who is this living bread? Well, he is God the Son who came down from heaven. He was born a man. In other words, the very one standing before them and teaching was the very God of the universe come in the flesh. 2. For what purpose was he sent? Question 2. For what purpose was he sent? Why did he come? In these verses we also learn that God the Father sent his Son to accomplish his will - the Father's will. That word "will" is referring to God's planned purposes. And what is that will? We're told that the Father sent his Son to receive those whom the Father calls to him. Look at verse 37. The first verse that we read. It says "all that the Father gives me will come to me." That's further explained in verse 44 "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him." It's saying that every single person whom the Father calls will come to Jesus. Through out these verses there are a few different theological truths. We sometimes call this one, irresistible grace. When God calls you… that is, when the Holy Spirit directs you to Christ to see and believe him, you cannot resist that. You can try to flee him, but as the famous English poem says, God is the Hound of Heaven. He will seek you out and you will come to him. So, for what purpose was Jesus sent? He was sent to receive all those whom the Father ordained to come to him. That's part of the answer. Another part of the answer is found in verse 51. I want you to look at that verse. This is the key verse in this whole section. It begins, "I am the living bread that came down from heaven" We just talked about that in the first question. Jesus goes on in that verse, "If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever." We're going to get to what that means in a second. And then Jesus says this, "And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” The Father's other purpose in sending his Son is for his son to give his flesh. His life. In fact, the giving of his flesh is the giving of bread. This is talking about the atonement. Jesus gave his life on the cross. His body was broken. His blood was shed. Why? The answer is there in verse 51 "for the life of the world." Jesus' life was given as an atonement for sin, so that people would have life. The word "world" is referring to people from every language and nation. ALL whom the father draws. 3. How do you feed on him and drink of him? Which brings us to question 3, which I think is the primary question answered in these verses. How do you feed on Christ and drink of him? That's the question that not only we ask, but that the Jewish crowd was asking. They didn’t understand because it is an awkward thing to think about. Look at their question in verse 52. "The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, 'How can this man give us his flesh to eat?'" It sure sounded to them like cannibalism. And then in verse 53 Jesus leans into it. He not only says that we need to feed on his flesh. He says that we need to drink his blood! Jesus said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you." It is not only that we may eat and drink of him, we must. Without feeding on him and drinking of him, it says we have "no life." But what does that mean? Because 8 times in these verses it talks about feeding on him or eating of his flesh or drinking of his blood. What does that mean? It is critical to understand it because if we don’t, we have no life in us. Well, to answer the question, let's begin by looking at two verses. Two parallel verses. Look first at verse 47. "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes