People Who Were Lost and Did Not Know It John 8:52-59 Wrap-up message in our series called Jesus In the Present Tense...I AM Sunday, September 11, 2011.

People Who Were People Who Were Lost Lost

and Did Not Know Itand Did Not Know ItJohn 8:52-59John 8:52-59

Wrap-up message in our Wrap-up message in our series series calledcalled

Jesus In the Present Jesus In the Present Tense...I AMTense...I AM

Sunday, September 11, 2011Speaker: Doug Virgint

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Lost and did not know it !

1) Introduction

2) The context

3) They misunderstood what it meant to be Abraham’s descendants.

4) They misunderstood who Jesus really was.

5) Conclusion

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Lost and did not know it !

1) Introduction

2) The context

3) They misunderstood what it meant to be Abraham’s descendants.

4) They misunderstood who Jesus really was.

5) Conclusion

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1) Introduction

A question to the men :

Are you ever lost but don’t know it?

Are you ever lost but won’t admit it?

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Lost and did not know it!

1) Introduction

2) The context

3) They misunderstood what it meant to be Abraham’s descendants.

4) They misunderstood who Jesus really was.

5) Conclusion

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2) Context

In the Gospel of John :

Chapters 1 - 4 – Jesus favourably accepted

Chapters 5 - 8 – Jesus progressively rejected

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2) Context

In this chapter :

Abraham is named 11 times

not mentioned in the other 20 chapters

“We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free ?

(8:33)

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Lost and did not know it!

1) Introduction

2) The context

3) They misunderstood what it meant to be Abraham’s descendants.

4) They misunderstood who Jesus really was.

5) Conclusion

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3) Abraham’s descendants

Their thinking:

Abraham is blessed by God

God promised to bless Abraham’s descendents

We are Abraham’s descendants

There is nothing for us to worry about!

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3) Abraham’s descendants

Jesus’ answer:

God is interested in spiritual lineage, not physical lineage.

Are you descended from Abraham spiritually?

Do you do as Abraham did?

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3) Abraham’s descendants

Abraham:

A) placed the calling of God above earthly considerations

B)believed God in spite of circumstances

C)placed his ultimate hope in the coming of the Lord Jesus as Messiah, and rejoiced in His coming

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3) Abraham’s descendants

A) He placed the calling of God above earthly considerations :

Abraham was richAbraham was rich He did not allow Ur or Haran to He did not allow Ur or Haran to

detain himdetain him He left the past behind and set He left the past behind and set

out to obey Godout to obey God He sought only the honour that He sought only the honour that

came from God.came from God.

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3) Abraham’s descendants

A) placed the calling of God above earthly considerations :

These men in John 8 were only These men in John 8 were only concerned with man’s respect concerned with man’s respect and honourand honour

They rejected Christ because They rejected Christ because they wanted to maintain their they wanted to maintain their position and honourposition and honour

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3) Abraham’s descendants

“It is not difficult to honour oneself. One can quite easily surround oneself with a kind of synthetic halo. It is easy enough - in fact it is fatally easy – to bask in the sunshine of one’s own approval. It is not overly difficult to win honour from men…… But the real honour is the honour which only eternity can reveal, and the verdicts of eternity are not the verdicts of men.” (William Barclay)

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3) Abraham’s descendants

B) believed God in spite of circumstances :

And they were difficult And they were difficult circumstancescircumstances

FaminesFamines Family problemsFamily problems Attacks from armiesAttacks from armies And there was sterilityAnd there was sterility

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3) Abraham’s descendants

C) placed his ultimate hope in the coming of the Lord Jesus as Messiah, and rejoiced in His coming.

“Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.” (8: 56)

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3) Abraham’s descendants

When did Abraham see Christ’s day?

By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sac-rifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so … he did receive Isaac back from death. (Heb 11:17-19)

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3) Abraham’s descendants

When did Abraham see Christ’s day?

When God provided a substitute sacrifice for Isaac, Abraham clearly saw with the eyes of his faith the coming of Christ, and the meaning of His death and resurrection.

And he rejoiced in that coming!

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3) Abraham’s descendants

When did Abraham see Christ’s day?

But here, these religious people were seeing Christ with there own physical eyes.

They saw His miracles and heard his teaching.

And they rejected him!

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3) Abraham’s descendants

Have you really seen Christ’s day?

Have you rejoiced in Christ?

Have you received Christ?

Or is something stopping you from receiving Christ?

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3) Abraham’s descendants

Have you really seen Christ’s day?

Pride Pride Preferring your own goalsPreferring your own goals Looking for man’s honourLooking for man’s honour Refusing to believeRefusing to believe

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3) Abraham’s descendants

Have you really seen Christ’s day?

“The sun did stand still” “The iron did swim” “This God is our God”

(Leland (Leland Wang)Wang)

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Lost and did not know it!

1) Introduction

2) The context

3) They misunderstood what it meant to be Abraham’s descendants.

4) They misunderstood who Jesus really was.

5) Conclusion

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4) Who Christ is

“Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad. “You are not yet fifty years old,” they said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!” “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” At this, they picked up stones to stone him,”(8:56-59)

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4) Who Christ is

Two important questions:

Who am I?Who am I?

Where am I going?Where am I going?

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4) Who Christ is

Two much more important questions:

Who is Jesus-Christ?Who is Jesus-Christ?

Is Jesus-Christ God?Is Jesus-Christ God?

On these questions hang our On these questions hang our destinydestiny

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4) Who Christ is

The Gospel of John starts with this verse:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”(John 1:1)

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4) Who Christ is

The Gospel of John ends with this verse:

“Jesus performed many other 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 Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

(John 20:30-31)

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4) Who Christ is

In between these verses:

Much evidence is given to support Christ’s claim that He is God.

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4) Who Christ is

In chapter 8 the question is not:

about Jesus’ teachingabout Jesus’ teaching

about Sabbath keepingabout Sabbath keeping

or about Jesus’ good deeds (or or about Jesus’ good deeds (or evil)evil)

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4) Who Christ is

The question is:

Who is Jesus?Who is Jesus?

Is He God?Is He God?

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4) Who Christ is

If Jesus is God:

He has the right to our allegianceHe has the right to our allegiance

We must follow Him as Lord and We must follow Him as Lord and GodGod

We can not be indifferent to HimWe can not be indifferent to Him

Which will it be?Which will it be?

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4) Who Christ is

“Before Abraham was born, I am” (58)

““God said to Moses, “God said to Moses, “I AMI AM WHO WHO I AMI AM. .

This is what you are to say to the This is what you are to say to the Israelites:Israelites: ‘‘I AMI AM has sent me to you.’” has sent me to you.’”

  “  “This is my name forever, This is my name forever,    the name you shall call me    the name you shall call me    from generation to generation.”   from generation to generation.”

(Exodus 3:14,15) (Exodus 3:14,15)

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4) Who Christ is

God revealed himself to Moses by his personal name:

Jehovah or Yahveh Jehovah or Yahveh YHVH – the tetragrammatonYHVH – the tetragrammaton from the Hebrew verb “hovah”from the Hebrew verb “hovah”

- The one who is- The one who is

- The absolute and unchangeable one- The absolute and unchangeable one

- The existing, ever-living- The existing, ever-living

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4) Who Christ is

An additional point here:

The reaction of the Jewish leadersThe reaction of the Jewish leaders They tried to stone HimThey tried to stone Him The penalty for blasphemyThe penalty for blasphemy

““We are not stoning you for any We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”man, claim to be God.” (John (John 10:34)10:34)

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Lost and did not know it!

1) Introduction

2) The context

3) They misunderstood what it meant to be Abraham’s descendants.

4) They misunderstood who Jesus really was.

5) Conclusion

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5) Conclusion

Jesus’ reaction to those who rejected Him:

““Jesus hid himself, slipping away Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.from the temple grounds. (John (John 8:59)8:59)

““going through the midst of them, going through the midst of them, and so passed by”and so passed by” (KJV)(KJV)

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5) Conclusion

Jesus’ reaction to those who rejected Him:

They rejected ChristThey rejected Christ

So Christ rejected them So Christ rejected them

He passed them byHe passed them by

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People who were lostPeople who were lostand did not know itand did not know it

John 8: 52-59