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Jesus, The Light of the World, Part III, John 8:28-34
As you study the Gospel of John you will encounter eight different conversations in which Jesus makes very specific, far reaching, even shocking statements about himself and you realize only God could make such claims.
He does not just claim to know these things, or explain these things.
He unashamedly and boldly claims that He is these things.
And He, being these things, when seriously considered, will bring tremendous impact on your life.
They are meant to bring life changing transformation with everlasting consequences.
For in John 6:35 Jesus states, I am the bread of life.
In this he tells us the He is our food.
Shocking? Yes, that is shocking to the natural man who only sees food as that which comes by his hand! In John 8:58 he says, Before Abraham was, I am, declaring himself to be eternal and by inference those in Him to also be eternal. In John 10:9 he claims, I am the door, saying He is the entrance unto the Father In John 10:11 by saying I am the good shepherd, he tells us He is our Guide. And in John 11:25 when He says I am the resurrection, he declares only by Him can one access life eternal. In John 14:6 he declares I am the way, the truth, and the life, saying the way to God can only be found in Him, there is no truth nor life apart from him. And in John 15:1 by saying I am the true vine, He is the provider of fruit, of growth in that life. And lastly from our study in John 8:12 when he says, I am the light of the world, only He can open the mind and heart to the reality of God’s world. He has preached these truths to the religious hierarchy of Israel but as John states in John 8:27, They understood not.
For they were not of His world, they were of a world of darkness refusing the light that he personally offered them for as we know clearly from:
1 Cor. 2:14, ...the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
And it is plain that they did not want the light, otherwise Jesus Christ would have received them unto himself allowing them to walk in the light.
But they, as all who know not Christ, were natural men and they wanted to remain natural men as men without faith desire.
But He continues to teach of near future events for these before him will see him lifted up as we read in John 8:28:
Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.
Jesus here refers to the near future event of his lifting up for He knew why he was here and he knew where he was going.
He fully knew what he faced.
He tells them in this passage that his lifting up, his crucifixion, will verify that he is the Messiah.
Note the italics of the word "he" in verse 8:28.
It is a supplied word by the translators.
Read without it, "then shall ye know that I AM."
He tells them plainly that he is God. He is the "I AM"
He infers that his divine glory will be revealed when he is lifted up.
Remember the Calvary miracles, the rocks rent by earthquake, the darkening sky, the opening of the graves, the tearing in two of the temple veil from the top to the bottom.
Remember the centurion who said, "Truly this was the Son of God."
And remember Luke 23:48, And all the people that came together to that sight, beholding the things which were done, smote their breasts, and returned.
There was no doubt that a terrible crime had been committed. Heaven and earth’s very nature protested the crime of man against his God.
And then the greatest proof of all took place three days later when this selfsame Jesus whom they had last seen die on a cruel cross, rose from a tomb alive after being placed there, dead as man can be.
Jesus instructs them that this is what will take place.
Mark his words. He knows, they do not know!
He knows because he follows exactly his Father's will.
He says: I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.
Jesus constantly reminds his listeners that he is at the disposal of his Father at all times for He did absolutely nothing of himself.
He was wholly available, wholly dependent upon God at all times, under all circumstances.
That is why he could say, I do nothing of myself.
This is the keystone of a sinless human being.
The essence of all sin is independence of God.
This is the world’s dream for Satan’s mission is to be independent of God!
The fool hast said in his heart, No God for me!
But the essence of sinlessness is dependence upon God.
It was by the obedience of Jesus Christ, that God the Father demonstrates to us what he had in his mind when he created mankind.
So Jesus continues in John 8:29, And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.
Jesus Christ enjoyed constant communion with the Father.
There was never a separation or a schism because of sin, for he had none.
There was never a moment when Jesus did not bring joy and delight to his Father's heart for Jesus Christ never finished a day with regret.
He never wished he had done and said things differently because he always did the will of the Father.
Jesus Christ did not have a life with God and a life apart from God.
Absolutely everything he did, he did to please the Father.
None of his life was separated unto himself.
He was truly holy in that his life was truly separated unto God.
When he walked, when he talked, when he worked, when he performed miracles, he did all things to please his Father.
For He lived in perfect communion with him.
He only could say, he that hath seen me hath seen the Father.
Hearing Jesus words further we read John 8:30,31, As he spake these words, many believed on him. Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
Jesus Christ tests the belief expressed here.
Is it true belief or is it superficial for He knows the heart?
Jesus Christ describes in this passage in what true belief results.
He describes in this passage what it means to be a genuine disciple.
True belief produces continuance in God's word.
Continuance in God's word means taking up abode in God's word.
It means Jesus is your food, your guide, your light, your way, your truth, your life and your light.
It means letting God's word have its way in your life.
It means that God's word has a continuous effect on your life.
His instruction will be the law of your life. He tells them that the evidence that they are his disciples will be shown by their acceptance of his instruction and it becoming their rule of faith and practice.
How can you know the will of God if you do not stay in the Word of God where his will is revealed?
So it is not how a man or woman begins with Christ but how they continue and end with Christ.
This is what Jesus means in Mat 10:22: .....but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.
God’s people are an enduring people for they are made in the image of Christ!
Also 1 John 2:19 is another verification of true belief and true discipleship.
For it says: They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us....
The one who has been truly saved will not fall away and be lost; the one who does fall away and is lost, was never truly saved.
The result of that relationship with Jesus Christ who is truth incarnate, is expressed by Jesus Christ in:
John 8:32, And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
The truth, Jesus Christ, the Word, the Son of God, the Son of Man, promises that those who stay in him, those who abide in his word, those who accept his word as their rule of faith and practice, will be made free!
What does he mean by free?
He says in this verse that knowledge of truth results in a free individual.
What does he mean? Free from what?
Rom 6:16, says that we are servants regardless of our status before God.
Let's read: Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
So Christ is not saying that man will be free in the sense that an individual has total command or freedom over self or outside influences.
Such an understanding is alien to the Bible, which never depicts such a freedom.
We cannot be or do what we want because we are not independent of others or independent of God.
We do not have the power to do what we want to, whether that be to fulfill God's law, to love others, or to save ourselves.
The Bible constantly affirms that the kind of freedom all persons have is the kind of freedom that slaves or servants have.
How strange that is to the world!
But slaves and servants have freedom to obey their master.
When we yield to sin as our master, sin uses the law to deceive us into thinking that we are in control of ourselves.
It deceives us into thinking that by our own works we can save ourselves by obeying the law.
It deceives us into thinking that we can operate without being accountable.
In reality, on our own we do not have the power, the freedom, to live righteously for we are not free to do so.
If we continue to live under the rule of sin, the daily choices we make become more and more obedient to sinful purposes and lead to eternal death.
But Jesus says we shall be free from slavery to sin when we yield to his grace.
The kind of freedom that Christ gives is the freedom to serve God instead of sin.
The kind of freedom Christ gives is the freedom to obey God, a freedom we do not have in our natural state. Without Christ we are slaves to sin and without power to obey God.
It is impossible to obey God while slaves to sin.
But a Christian, one who is created anew in Christ Jesus is free to move in harmony with the mind and the will of God.
The war with our creator is over.
We no longer have to be in bondage to sin but we now have the freedom to be obedient unto righteousness.
The freedom Christ describes here results in Him using his power to mold us more and more into His image.
This freedom exempts the sons of God from all opposing power.
Satan no longer has dominion over those who are set free by Christ for in Christ and Christ alone there is victory.
This new freedom is expressed in Rom 8:33, Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.
No man, not even Satan can take it away!
Several verses that further enlighten us with regard to the freedom that the truth brings:
Psalm 119:45, And I will walk at liberty: for I seek thy precepts.
I now have the power to seek God's precepts and therefore I have the will to walk at liberty. |