Who Is Jesus Christ?

Transcript

GR 366
7/6/1980
Who is Jesus Christ?
John 8:48-59
Gil Rugh

John chapter 8 in your Bibles. John’s Gospel and the 8th chapter. We come to the close of this section in our study where Jesus focuses attention on Himself, and we come down to what the basic issue is—Who is Jesus Christ? He has dealt with the matter of sin and slavery to sin, being set free from sin and its domination by faith in Himself as the Son of God. He has discussed in verses 37-47 why some do not respond to His word. It’s because they are children of the devil, and they are taken up in functioning like the devil functions. We're going to see reiterated again in the portion before us today the stress that keeps coming across on the children of God living like children of God, and children of the devil live like the devil. His character is manifest in their conduct, and conduct becomes a crucial area in manifesting character and who we really belong to. The Jews have been hung up with their identification with great men of God. Jesus has already told them back in John chapter 5 and verse 46 that they really weren't following Moses. If you believed Moses you would have believed Me because Moses wrote of Me. The Jews prided themselves in being followers of Moses. But Jesus said, You don't really believe Moses because you would have believed Me. They prided themselves in being descendants of Abraham, yet Jesus has been demonstrating that you really aren't descendants of Abraham at all. You have a physical tie to Abraham but you really are not in the line of Abraham spiritually, because you don't behave like Abraham behaved. You don't conduct yourself in the way Abraham conducted himself. And the tragedy that these Jews were perpetuating is the same one that continues today in a little different way. But many people think they are in the line of great men of God that God has used—men like Calvin, and Luther and Wesley. Not to put them on a par with Abraham or Moses, but this is the same kind of error. People pride themselves in being followers of Luther or followers of Calvin, or followers of Wesley. Yet there is really no similarity between these men and their followers, between what these men believed and stood for and what those who claim today to be their followers stand for and believe. And these Jews, they weren't in the spiritual line of Moses, they weren't in the spiritual line of Abraham.

In verse 42, Jesus told them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me." That would be the real demonstration. They thought God was their Father as He was the Father of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and yet Jesus says very simply that if God were their Father, you would love Me. And the basic issue in a relationship with God is your attitude toward Jesus Christ. Do you love Him? Have you come to believe in Him? If not, you don't love God. You don't belong to God. Verse 43, "Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word. You are of your father the devil, and you want to do his desires." And here we have the line drawn. The children of God and the children of the Devil; and the children of the devil cannot hear and understand the Word of God. They are not of the family. It does not communicate to them. The. issue is the same today as Paul develops in 1 Corinthians chapter 2, where the Spirit of God indwells a person today who believes in Jesus Christ, and He is there to teach us, to instruct us, to illumine our hearts and minds so that we might know the things of God. Paul wrote that eye hath not seen nor ear heard, neither has entered the heart of a man the things which God has prepared for them that love Him. But God has revealed them to us by His Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. But the natural man, the man apart from the Spirit cannot know or understand the things of God, so the man who does not have the Spirit of God, the man who is a child of the devil, cannot understand the Word of God. It's foreign to him. In Verse 47, "He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God." Now amazing. Here you have the Son of God Himself, the fullest, most complete revelation of God that there has ever been. The One who could communicate most clearly the truth of God, and yet those listening to Him do not comprehend nor understand because they are children of the devil. Spiritual truth does not make an impact upon them. And the same happens today. People are exposed to the message of the Word of God, but it makes no impact on them. They might as well be listening to the evening news. It’s not life changing. There is nothing going on within them as a result of the ministry of the Word. It’s just bouncing on their ears and off and they go on their way, totally unchanged and unaffected. It's because they cannot hear the Word of God, because they do not belong to God.

Now there is that preliminary work of the Spirit of God among those whom God is drawing to Himself in opening the eyes of the understanding to cause a person to believe. But without that the children of the devil are insensitive to the things of God.

Now. With verse 48 and through the end of chapter 8, Jesus zeroes attention in on Himself. He Himself is the issue. He has dealt with sin and slavery to sin. It's been a doctrinal area in verses 31-36. Then verses 37-47 He deals with what we might call a practical area—that your problem is that you do not belong to God, but you are living for and like the devil. And now in verses 48-59 it's really a doctrinal emphasis—Who is Jesus Christ? Who is this One in whom I must believe in order to have forgiveness of sins? That I must believe in to have freedom from slavery to sin? That I must believe if I am to become a child of God and cease being a child of the devil?

The Jews respond to the teaching of Jesus and we just looked briefly at verses 48 and 49 in our last study. "The Jews answered and said to Him, 'Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?'" A Samaritan who is demon possessed. That's who they respond to the teaching of the Son of God. If positive response is an indicator of success, Jesus Christ is a failure. But that's not the determining factor for success. Success is determined by faithfulness in communicating the Word of God, and that's what Jesus has done. They say, You're a Samaritan. Jesus doesn't even pick up on this point, because it's obvious to everyone. He's not a Samaritan. They know who His father and mother are, humanly speaking. The Samaritans are like a dirty word. It's a term of derision. These things you're saying about us as Jews could only come from a Samaritan. The Samaritans don't understand spiritual things. They are always opposing the Jews. You must be a Samaritan. Today, we call someone probably a legalist—that's our blanket dirty word among our group. You know, someone doesn't agree with us or see it the way we do, we say he's a legalist— whatever that means in that given situation. And there are legalists, but they're probably not always the people we identify that way. He's a Samaritan! The more serious charge, the one that reoccurs during the ministry of Christ. And the way that this is put in the tenses in verse 48 would indicate that this is something that is their constant opinion of Him. Put there constantly, Aren't we saying rightly all the time that you're a Samaritan and have a demon? And this charge of being demon possessed reoccurs several time in the ministry of Christ and it's awesome. As we noted in our study of verse 44, the devil is said to be a liar and the father of lies, and he carries on a ministry of deception in the world. And here you have a perfect example of how complete that deception can be. Here is the Son of God speaking a message from God the Father, and the religious people of His day say it must be the devil talking. In effect, they call God the devil, and they think they are children of God when they are children of the devil. And you see how totally deceived and totally twisted these unbelievers have become. That they identify God as the devil and the devil as God. They are the children of the devil and they think they're
the children of God. Christ is the Son of God, and they think He's the son of the devil. They are totally confused. Everything is twisted because they are submissive to the father of lies, and they believe the lie that he is perpetuating. You have a demon. If you stop and contemplate that, it is awesome. That before this chapter is over, Jesus Christ is going to acclaim to be God Himself; and here are men who are confronting God Himself and declaring Him to be demon possessed. It’s awesome.

Look back in chapter 7, verse 20. Jesus has asked them, Why do you seek to kill Me? And note verse 20. "The multitude answered, ’You have a demon! Who seeks to kill You?’’’ Look over in chapter 10, verse 20. "And many of them were saying, ’He has a demon, and is insane; why do you listen to Him?’’’ Here is God in the flesh, the One in whom the fullness of deity dwells in bodily form, and they say He is insane. He’s demon possessed. Awesome how deceived fallen human beings can be.

This is similar as we have alluded to in Matthew chapter 12. Just turn back there quickly. Matthew and the 12th chapter. Now we read this and say that’s unbelievable, but keep in mind people do exactly the same thing today. When they identify themselves as children of God when they are really the children of the devil. They identify themselves as those who belong to God when they really belong to the devil. They reject the Word of God, and thus promote the teachings of Satan.

In Matthew chapter 12, Christ has healed a man, blind and dumb—demon possessed. And in verse 24, "When the Pharisees heard it, they said, ’This man casts out demons only by Beelzebub the ruler of the demons.’" You see, they claim He is under the rule and domination of Satan. He has power but it is power of demons, and this leads into what we call the unforgiveable sin, the unpardonable sin in verse 31. "Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven men; but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. And whoever shall speak a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever shall speak against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age, or in the age to come." What happens in Matthew 12 is the Son of God performs a mighty work, a mighty miracle, and it's the Spirit of God working in and through Him. And they say it’s the demons at work and they really credit the ministry of the Spirit of God to demons.

Now over in John chapter 8, the Son of God is teaching and again they credit the teaching that He claims to be from the Father, which would be in the power of the Spirit of God, to demons. So both the person and the work, the teaching and the work, of Christ are said to be demonic. The words that He taught and the works that He did were said by the people of His day to be demonic. Jesus said, those who call the Spirit of God demonic are unforgiveable. My understanding is that the unpardonable sin, the unforgiveable sin in the sense that we are talking about here, could only be committed during the lifetime of Jesus Christ. When Christ was on earth as the full and complete revelation of the Father, the One in whom and through whom the Spirit of God worked more fully and completely than at any other time; and yet those who in light of the fullness of revelation, the completeness of that revelation, would call the Spirit of God a demon are unforgiveable. What hope is there? They have had the fullest revelation a person could receive. They have been confronted with both the teaching and the works of God through the Son of God and they say it’s demonic, there is no forgiveness for that person. There is no forgiveness in this life or in the life to come.

So I would say that what is going on, as you turn back to John chapter 8, where they are crediting His teaching to demons as being parallel to what we have in Matthew chapter 12. They are calling the Spirit of God a demon as He ministers through the Son of God.

You have a demon. ’’Jesus answered, ’I do not have a demon.’" You note He doesn’t even pick up on the charge that He's a Samaritan, but the charge that He has a demon, He responds very simply. "I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father." Now isn't it amazing, the simplicity of that but the directness of it. No, you misunderstand. I don't have a demon, I'm honoring My Father. You see how twisted you people are. I am honoring My Father and you say it's a demon. "You dishonor Me. But I do not seek My glory; there is One who seeks and judges." Christ says, I'm not seeking to have glory for Myself. In the final end, it doesn't end what you think of Me. But there is One who is seeking My glory, and He is the One who judges. And again the simplicity and the directness of the warnings that Christ gives. There is One who is seeking My glory—the Father, and He is the One who will judge in light of how you glorify Me because ultimately the judgment will take place in what they have done with the Son. Have they glorified Him or not? Determines the destiny of every single man and woman in the world. Have they honored the Son? The Father seeks for the Son's glory. It's the Father's intention that the Son be exalted, but these Jews are resisting the purpose of God. So they are carrying out the plan and purpose of Satan. God's program has not changed, and there has been a realization of this.

Turn back to Philippians chapter 2 quickly. We can't read the extended portion here, but in verses 5-8 in Philippians 2, we have the humbling of Jesus Christ recorded, where He humbled Himself of all the glory that was His in eternity and became a man, existed as a servant. Verse 8 says, "Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." And note verse 9, "Therefore also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." You see the program of God in operation? It's to exalt the Son and glorify Him. Because in the glorifying of the Son, the Father is also glorified. And even the crucifixion of the Son does not frustrate the plan and program of God. Ultimately, everyone will bow before Jesus Christ and acknowledge Him as Lord. But not all are going to be saved. That's God's plan and program. It was while Christ was on earth, and it continues to be. That men and women would submit themselves to Jesus Christ, exalt Him, believe in Him, submit to Him, honor Him. That's the plan and program of God, and it continues to be today. And we see, people continue to resist Him today. Some people no matter what you present to them from the Word of God are unwilling to believe in Jesus Christ. They are unwilling to honor Him as the Son of God that He is. They continue to resist the program of God. And that's to be expected because Satan has not changed. He is unalterably set in opposition to God, and he continues the same program today that he was carrying on during the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ— opposing the plan and program of God in exalting and glorifying the Son.

"I do not seek My glory, but there is One who seeks and judges." That's awesome. Judgment will take place in light of how they have glorified the Son because that's a reflection of whether or not you have submitted yourself to the plan and program of the Father.

"Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death." John 8:51. It's amazing to me in the ministry of Christ how directly He confronts people. And He confronts them at the point of tension. I was reading a quote by Martin Luther this past week and I neglected to bring it with me. But the jest of it is that unless you confront a person with the Word of God where the point of tension is, you have not honored the Word of God. In other words, we as Christians can minister the Word of God but minister it in such a way that we avoid the point of contention, and when we do that we dishonor the Word of God and we do not truly represent Jesus Christ. And I believe that's a true statement. I believe Martin Luther was correct. If I know the Word of God teaches something on a certain subject and I'm confronting a person whom I know opposes that, it’s very easy for me to take the heat off by talking about something else. And really I don’t honor the Word because that’s not where the need is. The need is where the conflict is. We’ve shared this—when we’re dealing with people of different convictions. And I’ve shared with you about Roman Catholics. I have much in common with Roman Catholicism. What is significant is where we disagree biblically, not where we agree concerning the person and work of Jesus Christ. And it’s true in every other area. And what Jesus does here is to keep sticking these Jews right where it hurts the worst. This is the point of tension, and the rub—He just keeps sanding on that same spot, and it’s getting sorer and sorer and sorer Note what He says in verse 51. "Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death." Now, I'm sure these Jews are starting to go into convulsions. If anyone keeps My word, He shall never see death. They begin to respond, “Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, and the prophets died." Who do you think you are? Zechariah had raised the question to the Jews of his day in Zechariah 1:5, Your fathers, where are they? The prophets, where are they? The Word of God has overtaken them all. They're dead and that’s what the Jews say here—Abraham died, the prophets died. The greatest men in Israel have died. Now you claim that if anyone believes your word they'll never see death? Who do you make yourself out to be? Obviously, He's saying He's greater than anyone who has ever existed. Because there has never been a person who could say, if you believe My word, you'll never see death. And now you make that claim. And you see where Jesus is focusing the attention? The issue is, Who is Jesus Christ? Now He uses the expression,
The one who KEEPS My word... And I take it this is parallel to the idea in verse 31. If you abide in My word. Abide in My word, keep in My word. This repeated emphases on the character of life. We would say today we're talking about sanctification as well as justification, and I think there can be a tremendous error in emphasizing justification and not sanctification as well as emphasizing sanctification and not justification. We have people paddling around today who think if they recite certain formulas they belong to God, but let me tell you. The Jews had the right answer, but Jesus keeps driving home you don't live like Abraham. You don’t do what Abraham did. Your life is not consistent with the Word of God. Any one keeps My word. Now the basic issue is their attitude and response to Jesus Christ. But the point being made is similar to the one in verse 31—"If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples." It’s not mouthing the fact, Yes, I believe that Jesus died for me. There have even been on occasions people going around saying the demons cannot say that, so the way you test the spirits is ask them certain questions about Christ. That's ridiculous. While Jesus was on earth the demons acknowledge they knew who He was—the Holy One of God. Their tongues weren’t tied at all. And they didn’t cease to be demons. But rather the issue here is on the character of their life. Are they keeping His Word, are they living consistently with the Word of God? Is there life tied to the Scripture?

Look at the emphasis on this in a number of repeated passages. Verse 55— "You have not come to know Him, but I know Him; and if I say that I do not know Him, I shall be a liar like you, but I do know Him, and keep His word." Important to note that. We’ll pick up that emphasis in a moment. "Keep His word." Christ said, I keep the Word of My Father. It’s a characteristic of those who belong to the Father.

Look over in John 14, verse 23, "Jesus answered and said to him, 'If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him, and make Our abode with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father's who sent Me.'" He who does not love Me does not keep My word. There is the test again. The pattern of life, is it lived according to the Word of God? Now again, you're not saved by keeping the Word of God. You're not saved by the kind of life you live. We've gone over this—just to remind you. You are saved by faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ, His death and resurrection. And the moment you believe, you are justified. We are justified by faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ, but those who are justified are also sanctified. And there is the daily sanctification, living as those set apart from sin to God. Those who have the Spirit of God living within them, who have been born again, made new creatures. That is all tied together. It's not a separate entity.
Those who have been justified, live as those who have been justified. You cannot reverse it. I am now going to try to live like a justified person. Ridiculous, unless you have already been justified by faith in Christ; but it's also ridiculous to claim to have been justified and not be living a life of sanctification, a life set apart to Him. That does not mean we're perfect, but it does mean there is a difference in the character and quality of our life. It is lived according to the Word of God even though imperfections ‘are there. Areas of rebellion are there—the general character of our life is that lived according to the Word of God.

Look in chapter 15, verse 20. "Remember the word that I said to you, 'A slave is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also." Just as the pattern was, these disciples as they are used as the apostles to communicate the word of Christ, some will resist it. Who will resist it? Those who resisted Christ's message. Who resisted Christ's message? Those who resist God's message. The pattern follows through. So a person's attitude toward the Scripture today reveals whether or not he is a child of God. The life he lives, if it's not in accord with the Word of God, it's a revelation he's not a child of God.

Chapter 17, verse 6. "I manifested Thy name to the men you gave Me out of the world; Yours they were, and You gave them to Me, and they have kept your word."
Now Jesus is talking about men like Peter who obviously did not live a perfect life. He had lapses, but the general character of Peter’s life was that he kept His word. And those areas where he rebelled stand out as glaring inconsistencies. And that's true of those who have believed. The general tenor of their life is lived in accord with God’s Word. That's a growth process, I realize, becoming more and more like Jesus Christ. But somehow today we have a disassociation between justification and sanctification. We have people who claim to be justified who have nothing in their life that would indicate such a thing has happened. And I take it that it has not happened since there is no evidence.

One other passage. 1 John chapter 2, verse 3. "And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, ’I have come to know Him,' and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him." Incidentally, not talking here about the Law here, the Mosaic Commandments. John uses a different world when he talks about the Mosaic Law. "But whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him; the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked." You note. Even the testimony that we have for ourselves is the life that we live. My life lived now in light of the Word of God is God's testimony to me that I belong to Him as well as the testimony to others. If that were not the case, what would I have? Some squishy feeling, an emotional attitude or response which I wouldn't know for sure what happened. But I have a changed life that testifies to me that God has done a work in my life that He really does abide in me. Because I am living according to His Word, not perfectly in every single detail but the general pattern of my life is lived in accord with the Word of God, so that the areas of my life that are out of line stand out as exceptions rather than the rule.
And you ought to note, verse 4, "The one who says, 'I have come to know Him,' and does not keep His commandments, is a liar...” Important to keep that down. I’ve sometimes been frustrated as I’ve talked to people whose life bears no fruit. It is not lived in any way in accord with the Word of God but they have the right answers. I have believed in Christ, and I sit and think do I have to accept what they are saying? Then I remember what John says. I’m sitting in front of a liar. If they don’t keep His word, then they are liars if they say they belong to Him.

So Jesus, back in John chapter 8, says to these Jews, The testimony of your life is an indicator. "But if anyone keeps My word, he shall never see death." Awesome statement. Never see death. I believe the psychologist who said or made the statement that the universal fear of man is death is true. And I believe that’s biblical, and Hebrews chapter 2 develops it—that the purpose of Christ in coming and dying was to free those who lived in slavery because of the fear of death all their lives. But Christ has removed the fear of death. Now He’s not talking primarily here about physical death because all those who hear Him are going to die physically. Yet He says they will never see death, never experience it. The Jews respond in verse 52, 'never taste of death,’ saying the same thing. Never be exposed to it. I take it the primary sense here is spiritual death and carried to the ultimate. Death is separation. A person dies physically they are separated from their body. A person leaves their body when they die physically. They move out of this physical body. A person is dead spiritually when he is separated from God.
When a person suffers eternal death, he is separated from God for eternity. Now the person who keeps the word of Christ, who believes in Him, will never see death, will not be separated from God in this life or the life to come. Contrast to what He has said up in verse 34 and 35 where a slave does not remain in the house forever but the son does remain forever. The Jews are slaves. They are just part of the house externally, in a physical sense. But when physical death comes, that will even remove that connection. But those who keep His word will never see death. And you know what the real fear and sting of physical death is? The unknown of what follows. It's mind boggling. Some of you have been with people who are dying. And you know, it’s a totally different matter when you talk to a person who as far as they can tell they are in good health and everything is going fine, and you want to talk to him about eternity. Somehow they are too busy, and besides, I'm not afraid to die. But you know, I rarely confront an unbeliever in that condition when they're dying. It's a totally different thing when they're dying. I've been with unbelievers at funerals, and it amazes me how strong they can be when someone else has died, even close to them. But you know it's totally different for me to be strong when you're dying than to be strong when I'm dying. And it takes a fool not to be afraid if he's not ready and doesn't know. Here Jesus says, If you keep My word you'll never see death. You know what? Even physical death will ultimately be overcome because I'm going to receive a resurrected, glorified body to live in in the presence of God forever. So the fear of death is gone. That doesn't mean I anticipate dying. The experience can be unpleasant. The suffering can be something we all shun. You know the way I want to go? I want at 80 to preach my last sermon, and take the first step down and fall over and be gone. First preference is that the Lord will come and I'll skip the process entirely. Second preference is just to be gone. But no matter how the Lord chooses to take me, I know where I am going. And I can confront physical death realistically because I know what follows. This is an amazing claim that Jesus makes here. If you will keep My word, you'll never see death. And I'm convinced only a person who is ready to die is ready to live Because if you don't know where you're going when you die, what's life all about A fool charging on like he'd be here another six million years, plowing away with his life with no vision of what's going to be here in a year, a month, a a week. When I may not be around, where will I be? How can you live with death hanging over you? It’s awesome to me how blind we can be and still go on living in a fantasy world. Jesus gives the promise, If you keep My word you will never see death.

Awesome statement and the Jews grasp it. Verse 54. "Jesus answered, ’If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing."’ If I'm just here as a man trying to exalt Myself, that’s emptiness. That’s a good thing for us to keep in mind. We delight in honoring ourselves, exalting ourselves, in getting glory for ourselves. But what does it amount to? The ultimate end, only the glory that God gives counts. No matter what men does to honor us, in the final, ultimate sense it’s only God's opinion that really counts. We as Christians need to keep that in mind. We can get terribly down because people don't look up to us like we think we deserve. They don't honor us the way we think we ought to be. You know, the only thing that counts is what does God think of Gil Rugh and if God honors me, if God exalts me, that's all that counts. And what Jesus is saying here is that if I'm doing this for Myself, it's of no value. But if God is glorifying Me, then there's a serious issue at hand.

"If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; it is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say, 'He is our God.'" Now we have a conflict here. My Father is glorifying Me, and you say He's your God; but you hate Me. Now how can My Father be glorifying Me and you claim He's your God and you hate Me. There's a conflict here, isn't there? And Jesus gets to the heart of the matter very quickly. "You have not come to know Him." That's the problem. Now note here. How earnest, how sincere, how persistent these religious people can be. And yet they don't know God but they really believe they know Him. They say He's our God. They say it with conviction. They say it with emotion. They say it zealously! But they still don't know Him. "But I know Him." And Jesus really lays it on. "...and if I say that I do not know Him, I shall be a liar like you." Now again, that's very direct. And I am aware that Jesus did not deal with every person He confronted in the same direct way. But when it came down to confronting basic issues with religious people, He left no leeway. He could have said, If I say I do not know Him I shall be a liar. That would have gotten the point across. But you note what He adds, I shall be a liar LIKE YOU. Why? Because they claimed to know Him and don't. Now I really know Him and if I say I don't know Him, then we'll all be liars! In effect, you are a liar.
Every one of you is a liar. You're making a claim that is not true. "I do know Him, and keep His word. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day; and he saw it, and was glad." I don't know what the Jewish equivalent to Rolaids was in Jewish times, but I'm sure these Jews were in need of them about this point.

Your father Abraham, the one that you pride yourself in? He rejoiced to see My day. That was the anticipation of his life. He saw it and was really glad! We'll elaborate this in our next study together as we delve into the death of Jesus Christ, but I think that what He is talking about is the foreview Abraham had of the Messiah. And he had some touch of what that would be like, and that excited him. We'll look more fully into that next week. But, again the Jews don't act like Abraham did. The Jews, though, they said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?" That's not what He said. He said Abraham rejoiced to see My day and saw it. Now they say, You saw Abraham? That's not what He said. He said Abraham saw My day. Not that I saw Abraham, although that is true. And He picks up on that point. They say you're not quite fifty years old, He’s not yet forty. They pick fifty perhaps just as a good age. In Numbers chapter 4 that was the retirement age for priests, so that was when you got to be older, I guess. Fifty, younger than we think of older today; but depending on how I feel when I get to fifty, I may press that at that point! But you're not yet fifty. In other words, you're a young man. It wouldn't matter if they said a hundred or you're not yet five hundred because Abraham lived 2,000 years ago. The point being, you're still just a young man. And besides the whole idea is ridiculous. You've seen Abraham? "Jesus said to them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I AM.'" And that just blows them away. Before Abraham was born or came to be. Literally was born gives the idea but 'came to be' makes the contrast a little more striking, I think. Before Abraham came to be, I AM! That timelessness. Not before Abraham was born I was, that I preceded Abraham; but before Abraham came to be, I AM the timeless One. We noted earlier in chapter 8 verse 24 and again in verse 28 that Jesus makes the same claim. It goes back to Exodus chapter 3 and verse 14 where God says that His name is I AM, denoting that He is the timeless, eternal God. And it all zeroes in—how can Jesus make the claim to be the One who can set free from sin, its penalty and slavery? Be the One to take a person from being a child of the devil and make him a child of God? To be the One to so work in a person's life that they will never see death? The way that He can do all of that is, He is God. He Himself is God. That is the claim here. Not just that God dwells in Him, but I AM. I Myself am the eternal God. And there is the eternal Father, the eternal Son, the eternal Spirit. Three persons, the One Triune God. That's how it can all be. The crucial issue, I am convinced, in all of Scripture and in all theology is the person of Jesus Christ. Because even the work of Christ flows out of His person. If He is not who He claimed to be, then His death on the cross is not of saving significance. So I want to delve into the person of Christ in our next time together. Particularly the deity of Christ. We have a group that is going to be holding a convention in this city who deny the deity of Jesus Christ They're going to be holding it at the end of this month. You and I ought to be clear about what the Bible teaches on the deity of Jesus Christ. Everything else stands or falls on the issue of the person of Christ. If this is not God in the flesh, then nothing else matters. The fact He died on the cross—so what Even if He was raised from the dead, so what? Lazarus was raised from the dead. But no one gets eternal life by believing in Lazarus. The issue is, Who is Jesus Christ? They were unwilling to come to grips with the fact that He is God in the flesh, the Son of God, and thus the One who has secured salvation. What is your attitude toward Jesus Christ? You say, I haven’t given it a lot of thought. It’s too important to neglect. He is the One in whom all of life and all eternity centers. How you have responded to Him will matter in millions of years. You have no other decision; I have no other decision. It is so important. It is of such monumental consequences as to confront the issue, Who is Jesus Christ? Have you come to believe in Him as the Son of God who secured salvation for you in His death and resurrection? Or have you been deceived into thinking that you are alright apart from Jesus Christ? Have you been deceived into thinking that He's not the One that He claimed to be at all. The exciting thing is that all that can be forgiven the moment you trust Him and His finished work. Let’s pray together.

Father, how we praise you for the clarity of the truth of your Word. Lord, how we praise you for the presence of the Spirit in our lives as believers.
Lord, what a gracious privilege is given us to study the truths that you have committed to men, to understand it, to grasp its significance, to have the Spirit take our lives and conform us to the word that we have been studying. Lord, we realize that we are at best sinners. Lord, as a result of your grace, we are sinners who have been redeemed and are now those who are the sons of God, enjoying all the privileges that go with sonship. Lord, we are destined for the glory of your presence as those who shall never see death.

Lord, I pray for those who are here this morning. Perhaps they are visiting, perhaps they come week after week and yet, Lord, they have been deceived into thinking they are alright. Lord, deceived into not taking seriously the issue of who is Jesus Christ? What has He done for me? Lord, I pray that the Spirit might do that work of grace in their lives to bring them to the point of faith in the Savior who loved them and died for them, for we pray in His name