A Study of John - Sermon 38 Where Are You From? John 8:21-30 June 10, 2018

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1 A Study of John - Sermon 38 Where Are You From? John 8:21-30 June 10, Introduction A. Illustration - Where Are You From? 1. As you know I was born and raised in North St, Louis City. 2. I always emphasize North Side because there is essentially two cities in one 3. The North Side is very different from the south side and vice versa. 4. Kind of like two different worlds. 5. But those of us that come from the city seldom ask where are you from? 6. If we know you are from St. Louis, the question we ask is what high school did you go to? 7. With that simple question we were able to determine most of the important aspects of your life. 8. We could determine if you were from the south side or the north side. 9. We could tell if you were from a poor area or an affluent area. 10. We could actually identify your neighborhood. 11. Where we are from is very important. 12. Many times where we are from has an impact on where we end up going in life. 13. In our focal passage today Jesus has an interesting discussion on where He was from and where the people he was talking to seemed to be focused on. 14. They were literally worlds apart. 15. How often does the people we minister to, seem so focused on the world that they can t seem to focus on what is actually in front of them? 16. As Christians we are needing to adjust our focus. 17. This world is no longer our focus, we are focusing on the world above. 18. Now I am not saying that all things of the world must be shunned. a. We Have family b. We have friends c. We have to have housing d. We have to have food e. We have to have a job f. There are a lot of things that are required in the world whether you are a Christian or not. g. But as a Christian we are separate from the pursuit of sinful things. h. While the things I described are things that all of us focus on, the true passion of our life must be focused on a real and personal relationship with Jesus. i. Can you imagine loving your family and friends for a lifetime but spending eternity separated? j. Friends as Christians we must seek to build up treasure in heaven not earth. k. The treasures of earth are only a lifetime. l. Heaven or hell is for all eternity!

2 2. Sermon 19. While the sinful world is where we came from, through Jesus we are able to change our eternal neighborhood. 20. Our past and where we come from does not have to doom us to hell. 21. We can give our heart to Jesus and allow Him to re-focus us and to provide us with salvation. 22. With Jesus power we can focus on things above rather than the things of this sinful world. 23. Turn with me to John 8:21-30 as we continue our sermon series in John. A. Scripture 1. John 8:21-30 a. Once more Jesus said to them, I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come. This made the Jews ask, Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, Where I go, you cannot come? But he continued, You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins. Who are you? they asked. Just what I have been telling you from the beginning, Jesus replied. 26 I have much to say in judgment of you. But he who sent me is trustworthy, and what I have heard from him I tell the world. They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father. So Jesus said, When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. 29 The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him. Even as he spoke, many believed in him. John 8:21-30 B. Prayer C. Background III. Message A. The Reality of Our Final Destination 1. Jesus shared the reality of dying in sin in verse There are two eternal destinations. 3. Once more Jesus said to them, I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come. John 8:21 4. There will be two destinations. 5. One is Hell. 6. Jesus made it clear that if you die in your sin, then you cannot go to where He is. 7. If you die in sin- you go to Hell. 8. But Jesus went to heaven. 9. If we do not die in our sin then we will be with Jesus in heaven. 10. The Jewish leadership refused to accept Jesus as the Messiah.

3 11. As a result of their foolish choice they have no hope of eternity. 12. To this day those in the Jewish faith are looking for the Messiah. 13. Now you may say aren t we as Christians looking for the Messiah too? 14. Well as New Testament Christians we are looking for the Messiah. 15. But we are looking for His second coming. 16. For those of us that have accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior, we are not dying in sin. 17. We repented of sin and accepted Jesus sacrifice on the cross for an atonement for our sins. 18. We have accepted his death, burial and resurrection. 19. We have accepted Him as the Messiah, God the son. 20. Through Jesus we are no longer mastered by sin, but we are free from sin. 21. But the people who Jesus was talking to in this passage refused to accept Jesus. 22. Jesus said that they would continue to seek Him. 23. They would continue to seek the Messiah. 24. They refused to recognize that the Messiah that they were seeking was standing right before them, talking to them offering salvation. 25. As a result they would continue to seek the Messiah and because of their refusal to accept Jesus, they would die in their sin and never enter heaven where Jesus is. 26. It s a sad story, but oh how true. 27. Friends today people are told about the Savior and they refuse to believe. 28. Anyone today that refuses to repent of sin and accept Jesus will die in their sin of unbelief and they will never be where Jesus is. 29. When Andrew was a little boy he loved to watch the movie All Dogs Go To Heaven. 30. A major story point was that when a dog died they went to heaven, but a dog named Charlie fought the system to get a little more time. 31. Unfortunately many in the world today have taken this same polluted thought and tried to change the narrative of the scriptures. 32. Many want to believe that all good humans go to heaven. 33. But that is not true! 34. The friends of people who die without Jesus often meet and have parties and talk about seeing them in heaven some day. 35. But this is exactly what Jesus is talking about. 36. Seeking other avenues other than Jesus the Messiah won t work. 37. Many will seek heaven and salvation and they won t be able to find it, because they refused to accept Jesus the Messiah. 38. It is hard as a minister to encourage family when the loved one never professed Jesus as Lord, they provided no fruit for the Lord or declared Jesus their savior in any way. 39. The only encouragement that I can say is that the Bible shares that anyone that calls out to Jesus will be saved. 40. If your loved one cried out to Jesus, then we will trust God with your loved one. 41. They desperately want a minister to tell them their loved one is in heaven. 42. But I can only share with them the truth of God s word. 43. Jesus explicitly shares anyone who dies in their sin can not come to where He is.

4 B. The Results of Two Worlds 1. Jesus revealed two worlds. 2. One is below which is the sinful world which will lead to Hell. 3. The other is above Heaven. 4. Verses clarifies this further. 5. But he continued, You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins. John 8: The world in its sin will do what it wants. 7. They will justify their sin. 8. They will call evil good. 9. They will call good evil. 10. Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Isaiah 5: The people below are those that refuse to believe in Jesus as the Messiah and Savior of the World. 12. There is no hope to be part of the World that Jesus will be in, if people refuse to believe in Him. 13. Jesus is from the world above. 14. He wants us to be part of that world. 15. What a crushing blow it would be to hear Jesus say: You are from below; you are of this world; I told you that you would die in your sins if you do not believe that I am the Messiah!!! 16. There are two worlds that are before us. 17. We must make a choice. 18. Do you choose Jesus the Messiah and the world above? 19. Or do you choose to be of the world below and reject Jesus? And suffer the eternal consequence of Hell? 20. Two worlds two choices that are worlds apart? 21. What do you choose today? 22. Jesus the Messiah? 23. Or to be of the sinful world and reject the Savior? C. The Rejoicing of Pleasing The Father 1. Jesus who is God the Son, desired to please God the Father. 2. They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father. So Jesus said, When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him. Even as he spoke, many believed in him. John 8: When you have lifted up the Son of Man 4. Two audiences that means so much.

5 5. For those who are believers of Jesus, they have lifted Him up as the Messiah and Savior. 6. Those who rejected Him, lifted Him up on the cross so they could kill Him. 7. But whoever witnessed that event, left clearly knowing that Jesus was the Son of God!!. 8. God the Son has always desired to please God the Father. 9. Jesus spoke what the Father taught Him. 10. Jesus was never alone, the Father was with Him. 11. Then Jesus the Messiah shared this beautiful and impactful words: For I always do what pleases Him, 12. Do you seek to always do what pleases the Father? 13. What does it take for us to have a passion to please the Father? 14. It takes a personal relationship with Jesus. 15. It requires us to believe in Jesus as the Messiah and Savior of the World. 16. It requires us to trust God s word. 17. It requires us to be obedient to the Word of God. 18. It requires us to Honor God with our thoughts, speech and actions. 19. It requires us to worship Him and to be His witness. 20. Jesus lived to please the Father. 21. Can you imagine this world if we as Christians lived to please the Father? 22. Do you desire to have a life filled with joy? 23. Come to Jesus our source of Joy. 24. Then live to please the Father. D. Invitation 1. Stand with heads bowed. 2. So friend what world are you from? 3. Which world is your passion and loyalty assigned? 4. Is it above with Jesus or below with the sinful world. 5. We know we live on this world, but we do not have to be of this world. 6. Jesus is a world away, and that s where He wants us. 7. Do you now the reality of the final destination? 8. We have a choice the world above with Jesus 9. Or the world below that leads to death and destruction. 10. We must believe in Jesus as the Messiah and Savior or else we will die in our sin. 11. What have you chosen today? 12. The world has called evil good and good evil. 13. Jesus is not of this world. 14. He is of the heavenly world that calls good good and evil evil. 15. Jesus said, ; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins. 16. Do you believe? 17. Do you know and believe Jesus as your Messiah? 18. Do you know and believe that Jesus is your Savior? 19. Jesus lived to please the father. 20. Are you living to please God? 21. There is a The Reality of Our Final Destination 22. The Results of Two Worlds are distinct and different. 23. And there is Rejoicing when we live to Please the Father. 24. Do you know the reality, the results and the joy of Jesus the Messiah? 25. Prayer and Invitation Hymn.

6 A Study of John - Sermon 38 Where Are You From? John 8:21-30 June 10, Read: Once more Jesus said to them, I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come. John 8:21. Where was Jesus going? 2. Why would the people that Jesus was talking to be looking for Him? 3. Why couldn t they come to where Jesus goes? 4. Read: But he continued, You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins. John 8: What are the two worlds that Jesus is talking about? 5. Read: Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Isaiah 5:20. Today does the world below still struggle with the truths from Isaiah s prophecy? Why? 6. What does it mean to die in your sins.? 7. What is Jesus desire for us to be part of the world below or above? Why is there a struggle? 8. Read: They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father. So Jesus said, When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him. Even as he spoke, many believed in him. John 8: What did Jesus mean when He said: When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he? 9. What does it take to have a passion to please the Father? 10. How can you as an individual and we as a church seek to please the Father?

7 A Study of John - Sermon 38 Where Are You From? John 8:21-30 June 10, 2018 Scripture for the Bulletin: But he continued, You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins. John 8:23-24 Message A. The R of Our Final D 1. John 8:21 B. The R of Two W 1. John 8: Isaiah 5:20 C. The R of Pleasing The F 1. John 8:27-30 A. The Reality of Our Final Destination 1. John 8:21 B. The Results of Two Worlds 1. John 8: Isaiah 5:20 C. The Rejoicing of Pleasing The Father 1. John 8:27-30