Valley View Chapel March 23, 2014 Jesus, the One and Only, Part 7 Jesus, the Risk-Taker John 8: Introduction

Transcription

1 1 Valley View Chapel March 23, 2014 Jesus, the One and Only, Part 7 Jesus, the Risk-Taker John 8:48-59 Introduction Jesus was always taking risks. He realized that without risk-taking, he wouldn t gain anything. Last week we saw that he took a huge risk when he initiated a spiritual conversation with a Samaritan woman of doubtful reputation. And what did he gain from it? John 4:39-41 reports the outcome: Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers. Because Jesus took a risk that day, a small corner of the world was transformed. Many of us claim to be followers of Jesus Christ. When was the last time we risked anything for Christ? It s not a bad idea to ask ourselves this question once in awhile: What can I attempt for Jesus Christ that I ve never attempted before? Some of us have never told another person about Jesus Christ. How about taking a risk for Jesus? Some of us have never served the Lord in a ministry for the glory of God and the good of others. How about taking a risk for Jesus? Some of us have never taken the risk of tithing giving 10% of our income so that the gospel of Jesus Christ can be known and his work promoted and enlarged. How about taking a risk for Jesus? The hymn writer Isaac Watts lived between It was a period of persecution for many believers in England. These persecuted Christians were called Dissenters because they dissented from the practices of the Church of England that they felt had lost their way. In 1721 Watts wrote a hymn to encourage his fellow Dissenters to remain faithful to Christ and the Gospel. Am I a soldier of the cross? A foll'wer of the Lamb? And shall I fear to own His cause or blush to speak His name? Must I be carried to the skies on flow'ry beds of ease, While others fought to win the prize and sailed thru bloody seas? Are there no foes for me to face? Must I not stem the flood? Is this vile world a friend to grace, to help me on to God? Sure I must fight, if I would reign; increase my courage, Lord! I'll bear the toil, endure the pain, supported by Thy word. Isaac Watts urged the believers of his day to take a risk by staying true to the Word of God and the Gospel of God. In today s text John 8:48-59 Jesus took a risk that might have cost him his life. What risk did Jesus take that prompted such an inflamed and furious response? To set the stage for John 8:48-59, we need to review what happened immediately prior to this text.

2 2 In John 8:34 he called the Jewish religious leaders slaves of sin. In John 8:44 he said that the devil not Abraham was their father. In John 8:47 he told them that they didn t belong to God. The counterattack The counterattack from the religious leaders is recorded in verse 48, Aren't we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?" Name-calling is the sign of a weak mind and a weak argument. They couldn t answer Jesus charges with logic and sense, so they called him names. They called him a Samaritan for two reasons. These religious authorities were saying that Jesus was no better spiritually or morally than the despised Samaritans to the north. In their hatred for the Samaritans, they referred to the Samaritans as dogs. To the scribes and Pharisees, Samaritans weren t considered Jews at all. Second, Samaritans were considered ceremonially unclean. If a religious Jew came into contact with a Samaritan, he would have to go through a ritualistic cleansing ceremony before he could worship once again at the temple. So they were telling Jesus that he was spiritually filthy. Jesus initial response A lesser man might be intimidated. A lesser man might realize that he was in over his head. A lesser man might cut his losses, go home, and lick his wounds. Live to fight another day. On the other hand, a lesser man might react with rage. Name-calling can easily spin out of control. You call me a name. I call you a name. The intensity escalates. Voices are raised. Fists may even begin to fly. Jesus was God come to earth. Think of how he could have carved them up verbally. Think of how with just a word from his mouth he could have sent them all flying backwards to land unceremoniously on their sanctimonious backsides! But he didn t. With grace, dignity and self-restraint, he answered calmly and rationally: I am not possessed by a demon, but I honor my Father and you dishonor me. He could have had the last word and walked away. Instead he made 3 inflammatory claims about himself. Jesus 3 inflammatory claims First, he said that my followers will never see death. Verse 51 says: I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death. His opponents immediately protested. We re told in verses 52-53, Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that if anyone keeps your word, he will never taste death. Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are? " Their argument sounded logical. Abraham died. The Old Testament prophets died. Zechariah had asked hundreds of years earlier: Where are your forefathers now? And the prophets, do they live forever? Zechariah 1:5 (NIV)

3 3 Even the New Testament book of Hebrews stated the universal truth that Everyone has to die once, then face the consequences. Hebrews 9:27 (MSG) So how does Jesus get off saying: If anyone keeps my word, he will never see death? As was often the case, Jesus critics heard were his words but not the meaning behind the words. Jesus did not mean that those who believed in him would never experience physical death. He meant that they wouldn t confront death in all its terror. They would not suffer the wages of their sins which is eternal separation from God. They would not suffer the just punishment of a holy God for their cosmic treason, which is eternity in a place called hell. He meant that death for his followers would not be the end but the beginning of a new and wonderful life. This is not the way many people view death. Death is often understood to be the worst enemy we have. Francis Bacon, the 16 th -century philosopher and statesman said: Men fear death as children fear to go into the dark. Woody Allen has long been known for his obsessive phobia about death. He observed: The fundamental thing behind all motivation and all activity is the constant struggle against annihilation and against death. Death is absolutely stupefying in its terror.you're always walking with an abyss right under your feet. Johnny Depp on the other hand tried to look at death as no big deal. In a Rolling Stone interview, he said: I think we're here and that's kind of it. Then it's dirt and worms. Several years ago, Billy Graham was invited to preach at the Memorial Church on the campus of Harvard University. Here s how he began his message: I know I am going to die soon, but that doesn t scare me. Does it scare you? Why doesn t death scare Billy Graham? Because he believes Jesus who said: If anyone keeps my word, he will never see death. As the evangelist D.L. Moody lay dying, he said with joyous confidence: Earth is receding; heaven is approaching. This is my crowning day. How could a man on his death bed say that? Because Moody believed Jesus who said: If anyone keeps my word, he will never see death. John Wesley was asked the secret to the extraordinary growth of the Methodist movement. He answered with four words: Our people die well. Who dies well? Everyone who believes what Jesus said in John 8:51, If anyone keeps my word, he will never see death. The second inflammatory claim Jesus made is recorded in verse 56, Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad. Abraham lived as long before Jesus as Jesus lived before us around 2,000 years. Yet Jesus spoke as if Abraham knew who he was. Jesus spoke as if he and Abraham were best buds. Jesus enemies thought that they were hearing the rantings of a lunatic: You are not yet fifty years old and you have seen Abraham! But the fact is that Jesus was right. He did know Abraham. And Abraham knew him. Abraham saw his Messiah when God made his initial covenantal promise to him in Genesis 12:3, I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." (NIV)

4 4 God said that all peoples on earth would be blessed through Abraham. How would Abraham be a blessing to all the peoples of the world? The answer is found in the opening verses of the New Testament: A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham. Matthew 1:1 (NIV) The next 16 verses trace Abraham s descendents all the way down to Joseph, the recognized earthly father of Jesus. Jesus said that Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day when he understood that from his own body would come the One who would save the world from their sins and bring about reconciliation with the holy God of heaven. Why wouldn t Abraham have rejoiced when he realized that his life would have an eternally beneficial effect on untold millions of people? But he also rejoiced to see Jesus day on what could have been the worst day of Abraham s life. Genesis 22 tells the story of the time when God told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, his one and only son. Just before the old man was ready to do the deed, God stopped him: "Do not lay a hand on the boy," [God] said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son." We re told that Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. Genesis 22:12-14a Abraham rejoiced on that day because he caught a glimpse of the substitutionary atonement. The Bible says that He sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. Isaac didn t have to die because a ram died in place of Isaac. Abraham realized at that moment that neither he nor his descendents would ever have to die for their sins. Maybe he didn t know it at the time, but he was rejoicing at the thought of a redeemer who would be God s final and ultimate sacrifice for the sins of the world. Jesus third and final inflammatory statement the mother of all inflammatory statements was in response to the Jews response to his claim about Abraham rejoicing to see the day of Christ: "You are not yet fifty years old and you have seen Abraham!" John 8:57 (NIV) Jesus told them in verse 58 how he was able to see Abraham and know Abraham s heart: I tell you the truth before Abraham was born, I am!" John 8:58 (NIV) Notice that Jesus didn t say: Before Abraham was born, I was. That would mean that Jesus was claiming to be a very old man very old, like 2,000 years old! The claim Before Abraham was born, I am!" so inflammatory that verse 59 says that the Jewish religious leaders picked up stones to stone him. In other words, they wanted to kill him on-the-spot. Why? Because they knew their Old Testament. They knew that Moses was commissioned by God himself at the burning bush to lead the chosen people out of Egypt. Initially, Moses didn t want the job. His initial response is recorded in Exodus 3:11, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" When God assured Moses of his presence with him, Moses countered with another concern: "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?" Exodus 3:13 (NIV) God said: Here s my name. Tell them that my name is I AM.

5 5 To use that name - I AM at all, much less in reference to oneself was a crime worthy of death. Leviticus 24:16 couldn t be clearer: Anyone who blasphemes the name of the Lord must be put to death. The entire assembly must stone him. Whether an alien or nativeborn, when he blasphemes the Name, he must be put to death. To understand the magnitude of Jesus claim, we need to know something about The Septuagint, the first translation of the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek. When The Septuagint translated Exodus 3:14, they employed two words for I AM - ego (eg-o'); eimi (i-mee'). When Jesus declared his identity to the religious leaders in John 8:58, he used two words for I AM - ego (eg-o'); eimi (i-mee'). Jesus hearers couldn t possibly fail to understand just what Jesus was saying about himself. New Testament scholar Bruce Milne spelled out the implications of Jesus claim: He is the eternal Christ sharing the everlasting life of the Father, the changeless Lord who towers over history, Master of time, Ruler of the ages, undiminished by the passing of the centuries... Those are the kinds of things that no mere mortal would dare to say about anyone but Jehovah, the great I AM. Conclusion So what do we do with Jesus, the risk-taker? We have only two options: Pick up a rock and stone him to death or fall on your face in awestruck worship and unconditional surrender. Jesus himself laid down the only two positions: "He who is not with me is against me. Luke 11:23 Do you have the courage to pick up a rock and throw it at him? Or do you have the courage to fall at his feet and cry out: My Lord and my God? There is no neutrality when it comes to Jesus Christ.