John 8 – The Great I AM
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The following transcript is a direct copy from the Youtube automatic transcript. It may not be 100% accurate but it is being provided until we can produce a better and more accurate transcript of the sermon.
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morning how are you this morning wonderful very fair to me you're always
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Fair to Midland do you ever get happy
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well I'm excited to be here this morning and I'm glad you're here open with me if you would to John chapter eight if the
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Lord allows this will be our last sermon in John chapter 8. and so you can clap later don't do that now
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I saw Nick he was about ready to clap now but anyway we've been we've been verse
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by verse going through you know the Book of John and Lord willing will continue to do so into the future here for a
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while but this text if you'll notice the title this text really fundamentally isolates
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in on who Jesus is and I know that's been a theme throughout the Book of John who Jesus really is not just who people
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say he is not what people's assumptions about him are but who he really is and
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where he came from and today we are going to get hit right smacked between the eyes with addressing who Jesus
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claims he is and so when we get to the end of the sermon hopefully it is
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Crystal Clear from the word of God who Jesus is and where he came from and
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throughout the sermon hopefully you'll get a little bit of an idea of why he's here he came obviously to die but he
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came to pay for sin he came to save came to seek and to save that which was lost I'm going to ask you a couple of
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questions and just like we always do and then we'll we'll pray but I'm going to ask you the questions first
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um we already had a prayer from from brother Ben here recently so let me ask you these questions and I'm actually
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going to read you a couple of Bible verses after the questions and then we'll go into prayer and then into the
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sermon have you recognized that the only Faith
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the world persecutes is Christianity has that been a record recognition
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you've made have you noticed that you can talk about anything else Islam
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Hinduism Jehovah's Witnesses Mormons you can talk about anything
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Satanism you you talk about anything you want false idol worship demon worship
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everything's okay nothing's off limits except one name there's one name that's always off
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limits in fact you can go to work tomorrow go to work tomorrow and start talking about
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anything Islam Buddhism Hinduism you talk about it doesn't matter satanism
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and you see if anybody shuts your conversation down probably not they're probably not until
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you bring up the name of Jesus and then in that moment you're going to have a whole bunch of people get
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offended and they're going to say well you need to stop that at work we don't talk about politics or religion at work
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and what they mean by that is you don't talk about Christianity you don't talk about truth
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think about that have you noticed it why do you think that is the case
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question number two why do you think that's the case and many of you have already formulated
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an answer or you will in the next few moments when you think about that why is Jesus the only religious name
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that receives so much hate foreign
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think about it does the world hate you too though
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here's the other question on the heels of talking about who we know they hate Jesus
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do they hate you is the world buddy buddy with you or do they hate you do they accept you as a
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friend or an enemy that's a big question I want you to listen to these next two Bible verses
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well passages because one is two verses James 4 4 and those of you who come on
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Wednesday nights you've already had a little bit of a head start on this one James 4 4 says adulterers and
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adulteresses do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with
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God whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God
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so there we have part of the reason people who are friends with God and do what God says makes themselves an enemy
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of the world but the the converse is true as well if you want to be a friend of the world and look like the world and
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behave like the world well they'll treat you as a friend but you will be setting yourself up as an enemy of God
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and here's John 15. we aren't quite here in the Book of John yet but in John 15
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verses 18 and 19 it says if the world hates you know that it
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hated me before it hated you if you were of the world the world would love its
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own yet because you were not of the world but I chose you out of the world
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therefore the world hates you so there you go Christians those are the
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words of Jesus himself in The Great I Am The Vine you're the branches passage John 15. he makes this
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statement the world hates you know that it hated him first it hated Jesus before
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it hated you let's pray together and then we'll see what this passage has to say about this
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Heavenly Father we are humbled and we are grateful
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to Bow before you knowing that you are the almighty God you are the great God Of Heaven
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father you are the one who has loved us and demonstrated that love by sending your son Jesus to pay for sin
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father we could not pay for our own sin we know that intuitively but your word
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reveals that to us plainly we can't pay for it we can't make up
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what we've done but Jesus can and Jesus did
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by coming and dying on a cross living a sinless life as a human being
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and walking his way to that cross and die shedding his blood your word
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says that there is no remission of sins without the shedding of blood
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father help us to understand the sacrifice that Jesus made was for us he died the sinless or the sinful
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we are full of sin he had none and yet he died to pay for our sin
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father thank you for loving us even when we're unlovable even when we're rebellious even when we
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were Wayward because your word says there are none who seek God there are none righteous no not one
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so God that means each one of us were unrighteous and all together unprofitable and useless for you
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but you loved us enough to pay to send your son to die
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father help us today as we hear from your word to recognize
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who Jesus is to know that he is The Great I Am he is
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the one who spoke to Moses these very words that Jesus is going to reference
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he is the very one who has created each individual here according to John chapter 1 in your word
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Jesus is the one who formed everything and created everything that was made
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including us so the very Creator God who fashioned informed us
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you sent to pay for our sin father help each person here to check
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their heart to consider their lives and to know the truth of what you have
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spoken through your word and to believe it father help us to keep your word
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to be obedient to it God we pray today that you would move in our midst that you would bring your Holy
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Spirit into each one of us but also in this place and convict us of sin convict
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us of righteousness help us to walk in a holy manner that is worthy of the gift of Salvation we've
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been given and God all those people here who don't know you and have never trusted you
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please father change their hearts cause them to believe that they might walk with you too and they might know
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the truth father we love you and praise you we pray that you would bless your word
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bless this time bless the church and we thank you for it we pray most of all father that you are
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pleased with our worship this morning and that you would accept it we pray in Jesus's holy name amen
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John chapter 8 we're going to begin in verse 46 and I know we I dealt with 46
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and 47 a little bit last week but we'll we'll start there and we'll read to the end of the chapter
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which of you convicts me of sin and if I tell the truth why do you not believe me
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he who is of God hears God's words therefore you do not hear because you
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are not of God then the Jews answered and said to him do we not say rightly that you are a
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Samaritan and have a demon Jesus answered I do not have a demon but I
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honor my father and you dishonor me and I do not seek my own Glory there is one
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who seeks and judges most assuredly I say to you if anyone keeps my word he
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shall never see death then the Jew said to him now we know that you have a demon Abraham is dead
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and the prophets and you say if anyone keeps my word he shall never taste death
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are you greater than our Father Abraham who is dead and the prophets are dead
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who do you make yourself out to be Jesus answered if I honor myself my
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honor is nothing it is my father who honors me of whom you say that he is
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your god yet you have not known him but I know him and if I say I do not know him I
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shall be a liar like you but do but I do know him keep his word
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your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day and he saw it and was glad
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then the Jew said to him you are not yet 50 years old and have you seen Abraham
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Jesus said to them most assuredly I say to you before Abraham was I am
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then they took up stones to throw at him but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple going through the midst of
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them and so passed by now that's a pretty amazing text isn't
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it that's quite the conversation and you know some of you might think Jesus is
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taunting them but I don't think much taunting them as he's just trying to reveal the truth to them and you'll note
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some of the answers as we start to look at this very quickly some of the truth of the or the answers to the questions
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that we ask are going to become very clear right there in the early part of that conversation
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um think about what he says he says which of you convicts me of sin now think about who Jesus is Jesus is
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absolutely sinless we know the whole story right we've seen the whole gospel those of us who are familiar with the
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Bible know the Old Testament the New Testament the gospels the apostles writings about Jesus there's no evidence
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anywhere that Jesus ever sinned and in fact the evidence is very strong that he never sinned right he is the sinless one
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otherwise he could not be the Savior from Heaven he could not be the one who goes to the Cross to pay for human sin
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if he himself were guilty of human sin remember the lamb that was sacrificed in
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the Old Testament had to be a lamb without spot or blemish Jesus too has to be without spot or
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blemish or he doesn't qualify he has to be human as well and we know
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he came and put on the Flesh of humankind but there is no one who could convict Jesus of sin because he has none
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of his statements none of his activity are sinful and so look what he says
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which of you convicts me of sin now they made plenty of accusations
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that Jesus was a sinner in fact they just said that we read there that he had
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a demon I want you to consider this for a second they believe quite strongly
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that Jesus is a liar he's a deceiver and he's bringing false doctrine that
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they've never heard of they don't know where the man comes from I mean they know technically where he comes from but
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they don't know really where he comes from and so they believe him to be deceptive a liar maybe even demon
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possessed and so what Jesus says which of you convicts me of sin Jesus isn't convicted
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of sin at all because he hasn't committed any and do you all see the contradictions
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I want you to think about this because in the art in today's world the same thing happens there's all sorts of
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criticisms of Jesus there's all sorts of criticisms of the word of God how many
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contradictions have you heard people say there are in the Bible it doesn't take more than even just a
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little bit of study to figure out the contradictions they're saying are either completely fabricated they're just
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making it up or even what they think is a contradiction there's a great explanation as to why it's there in
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every case the Bible still stands the test of time all these many years later this book
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just so you know not this particular one but the actual word of God was written over the course of 1500 years from the
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time of Moses all the way through to the Apostle John writing the Book of Revelation
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somewhere at the end of the first century Moses wrote all the way back in the 1400s BC that's a sweep of 1500
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years there are 66 books in here or individual documents by 40 authors at
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least maybe more at least 40 authors but yet it tells one unified narrative about
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God's Redemptive plan over the course of all 1500 years
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do you think any man could do that do you think any man has the power to
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guide a document like this and then get every single detail in fact right
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for all 1500 years and all the predictive prophecy that said Hey in a
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hundred years in a thousand years such and such is going to happen and then have that thing happen
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no one could do that but God you you can make all the attacks on
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Jesus you want and he will still stand as the sinless Son of God who came down
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to earth and put on the Flesh of mankind and died for sin and then Rose from the
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grave conquering capturing the victory
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think about this Jesus the word of God they will stand the test of time
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if you want to attack them feel free but you are coming right up against the
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almighty God and he knows everything sees everything he created you he knows you better than
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you every plan you make he will bring to to ruin he will bring
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every Wicked scheme you make against him or his word and he will bring it to ruin
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that's what he's done with many men over the years who have said God is a liar with God's word is false
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attack it if you dare but I say you just bow down to the Lord of Heaven and you
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believe what he says because it's the truth and there's your answer it's the truth
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look at Jesus's next words the very next words I can't make it up if I tell the
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truth why do you not believe me he's telling the truth he's giving them
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absolute truth hey I came down from heaven I was in heaven with the Father the father sent me here with messages
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for you with a mission to die for you I am the living Son of God all the way
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back to Eternity the Eternal Son of God coming down out of Heaven from the
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father to talk with you and you don't believe you won't believe
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if I tell you the truth why do you not believe me this is the answer to the questions that
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I was asking earlier the answer is truth the answer as to why Jesus and the word
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of God are such a problem is it's true and see the light does not
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or the darkness does not like the light listen to this verse it dates back to
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John chapter one about almost a year ago now if you think about it right about a
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year ago we were preaching through that John 1 5 says and the light shines in the darkness and the Darkness did not
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comprehend it or didn't grasp but they couldn't grasp it think about that the world is full of
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darkness and the light came into the darkness but men loved their Darkness more than
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light why because their deeds are evil so you turn on a light in a dark room
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where somebody's doing something that's sinful they want you to turn that light off pretty quickly don't they because you're
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revealing their sin that's what a life looks like that's lived against God or away from God it's
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full of Darkness the whole thing is Darkness that's why they don't come into the light
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I don't want to be part of a church if I'm in complete darkness I don't want to give let you have access to my personal
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life if I'm walking in darkness why you'll see the truth of who I am
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you'll see the truth of my behavior you might you might actually use the
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word of God and critique what I'm doing could you imagine that's blasphemy
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it's not but that's the way we look at it sometimes Jesus is telling them the truth but not
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only won't they hear it listen to his next statement he who is of God hears
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God's words now that's just a truism let me read you another scripture this is First
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Corinthians chapter two Paul writing to the Corinthian Church says this but the
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natural man does not receive the things of the spirit of God for they are
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foolishness to him nor can he know them because they are spiritually discerned
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you need to understand that the Bible is a spiritual book Jesus is a spiritual being
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Jesus Is God himself if you want to discern and understand Jesus or his words you must be born
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again but you must be a new believer you must be a spiritual person with the holy
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spirit inside of you there's no other way to understand him look at his statement again he is who he
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who is of God hears God's words if you had the holy spirit in you you would
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hear the word of God and Obey it that's what he said but look at his next statement therefore
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remember therefore you got to ask the question right what is it there for it's
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there because of his preceding statement he said those who are of God hear God's words and now he says therefore you do
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not hear because you are not of God wow
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I don't know I don't know that a pastor would have very many conversations if I made those those bold declarations all
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the time to people now I do tell people the truth but I generally build a little
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bit of a relationship with them before I ever start just you know being that direct with somebody but ultimately in a
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conversation I will say something like that you're an unbeliever you don't believe it's clear
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but when I meet with somebody initially I don't I'm not usually as bold as Jesus but then again I'm not perfect either
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and I know the minute that I come and say something to somebody about Sin if I
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don't know them well and I don't have that great of a relationship with them they're just going to get upset about it
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it's almost always going to turn them away so but this is I think what Jesus is saying
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and this is what he's driving out with them is hey dummies recognize that if
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you won't hear my word you don't belong to God because if the Holy Spirit were in you
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you'd listen to God's word and you wouldn't get so upset about it you wouldn't certainly as we read here and
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we'll see a little bit later pick up stones to kill the truth to kill
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God's servant it's hard Even Called Jesus Is God
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himself as he demonstrated but to kill the one sent by the father from heaven
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is that your reaction to Christians who criticize your life is that your reaction to Christians when
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they say you ought to listen to God's word and not your own you ought to obey God's word and not you
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what's the reaction is it mean in spiteful hatred Jesus is Jesus is on the
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verge of being killed by these people and again you've read you've read it with me we've read it together
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therefore you do not hear because you are not of God the opposite is true too I mean if you
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will not hear you're not of gods you know you can have he makes both statements those who are of God here's
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his word those who aren't don't plain and simple notice how the Bible though just just
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just for your understanding and just for you to think about it notice how the Bible is consistent with its doctrines
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whether you're in the Old Testament New Testament in the gospels whether the writings of Paul or the other Apostles
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however you chalk it up they all have the same message you believe God and be obedient to his
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word Old Testament New Testament same message no matter which prophet no matter which
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apostle it's always the same message so why won't we believe it why were the
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Jews so hard against this kind of message why are we as Christian why are we so hard against this
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because again this conversation is just going to devolve into attack
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I would say ad hominem attack really they're going to just start attacking
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Jesus left and right from here on all he's doing is sharing the truth
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why does a dark heart have such a response against the truth
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and again we've already kind of talked about it you shine that light in there and everything's a mess everything's
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dark everything's evil nobody wants that when you're in sin you don't want somebody peering into it
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you don't want to you don't even want to tell anybody when's the last time about this when's the last time you told
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somebody about your deep dark sin whatever it was whatever it is when's
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the last time you've told somebody about be honest
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because Christians we struggle with this same thing sometimes you know brother or sister will say hey
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did I see this right is that are you really doing that you're walking this way the Lord says do this but I did I
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see that right oh don't don't you judge me who are you to judge me
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I'm the great Rodney you shouldn't be judging me that's the way we think about ourselves
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though don't we I mean everybody has that view of themselves nobody hated his own flesh ever right I mean the Bible
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says that nobody hated himself we all looked at ourselves that way we look in the mirror in the morning oh don't I
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look so pretty I'm gonna go God loves me look what he's done in my life
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sometimes we walk in the same sins as the people who are unbelieving and many times we push away or or we're
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mean to or we just outright reject the word of God that people who love us are
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sharing with us sometimes now again let's keep going I don't want to derail on all of that just got to
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make some kind of you know application that fits because I really do see it very similar to the
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Christian church today a lot of people saying oh I'm Gods but they don't do what God Said
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over the Long Haul I'm sorry guys I'm sorry I mean I I just don't I can't look
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at somebody's life who isn't being lived for Christ and over the Long Haul I'm not saying in any individual moment but
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over the Long Haul and then say hey everything's okay yeah you look like a great Christian to me I'm sorry I can't
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do that and you shouldn't do that with me if I'm a big hypocrite you ought to be taking me aside and
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saying look you're a big hypocrite you're a phony fix it here's what God's word says get in line
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do what he says but a lot of us won't even open ourselves up for that kind of correct
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correction that's dangerous ground do you want to be one of those people who self-deceived Matthew 7 that Jesus
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tells depart from me you workers of iniquity I never knew you
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do you want to be one of those then let Christians come alongside you and correct your behavior
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not because of their opinions but because of what this book says what God
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has revealed the way we should live you ought to have an army of people around you just cutting you down and
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criticizing you day and night in fact you ought to have a posse that just follows you around and they don't
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do anything positive they just criticize day and night that was wrong that's a
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sin you slipped up like the little devil an angel on the shoulders you always see in TV shows you
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ought to have a little group of people that just follows you around to keep you humble and all they do is needle and
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pick and and just not just slipped up that was wrong that was sin that was evil
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point of order point of order you ascend you should have a whole team of people doing that to you
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or just become a pastor and you'll get that automatically it just happens as a
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course I'm playing anyway keep going you are a Samaritan and have a demon this is what
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they said to him now we've talked about this idea of the Samaritans before have we not think of Israel at the time of
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Jesus and I know I've gone through this in the South you have Judah or Judea in the in the southern part of Israel in
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the middle there's a place called Samaria in the middle so if you're looking at it north to south south is
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Judea middle is Samaria and in the north is the Galilee right Jesus was born in
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Bethlehem in the south in Jerusalem in Bethlehem which is near Jerusalem in Judea Samaria between and he was raised
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in a place in the North in Galilee called Nazareth right okay so we're all familiar with that but the reason that
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middle section is in there is there was a group of people who were technically Israelites but in a sense these were
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like um people who were were Jewish but they also intermarried with foreigners
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now there's a lot of history here and it's too much to unfold in the in the nature of this sermon but I will point
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you at second Kings chapter 17. I want you to write that down and go read that
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on your own time Second Kings 17. this talks about a serious
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meddling in Israel taking them prisoner and taking them back to their Homeland
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intermingling the people and then transplanting other people into Israel
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that aren't completely Jews or aren't Jews at all in some cases but they're at the worst or at the best they're half
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breeds if you want to say it that way that's a little crass in my mind but they're they're half Jewish half Gentile
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something like that there are mixed people some of them are just fully from
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another place entirely Second Kings 17 will give you that now them calling Jesus a Samaritan we don't
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necessarily know everything about why they're doing that there are some
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reasons that we could kind of debate over we don't know maybe all of the things but it could be that maybe being
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a Samaritan was just a byword it was just a it was just a mean statement that
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people would make about somebody you know you don't follow what we believe is the right way to live and the way to
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believe so you're a Samaritan you have this type of Doctrine we don't subscribe
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to so you're a Samaritan might be something as simple as that but just so you know and and this is
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this is an interesting factoid in history and that's really all it is because it's it's obviously untrue but
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it it was starting to be spread in the very early days after Jesus was born
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there was a Jewish rumor that Jesus was The Offspring of Mary and a Roman
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soldier I don't know if you guys knew about this this isn't talked about that much and
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again because it's just a little tiny piece of data the the thing that's interesting though this was really
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popularized in the second Century A.D so really only a hundred years or so after
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the time of Jesus this started to be popular popularized by a Greek
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philosopher named Celsius and we don't have any of his writings extant anymore just so you know we don't
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have his writings extent however the early Church Father Oregon or origin
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whichever you might have seen his name e-n-o-r-i-g-e-n he wrote about this he
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actually wrote about this in some of his writings that this guy Celsius made the claim that Jesus's Mom Mary or they
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called her Miriam back in those days she had illicit relations with the Roman
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soldier and so Jesus came from a mixed you know
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oh a mixed beginning and so again it's completely untrue but
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the other thing about this is and this was a surprise to me this is actually continuously written about for a while
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by the Jews in the talmud so in their teachings on the Bible in
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their religious you know understandings and the rabbi's word they continue to tell this story in the talmud
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and so again if you want to know where that came from that Jesus was actually not purely Jewish
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that's how it started this this is some of the stuff that was being said now I have no idea and that's why I said we
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don't know for sure if at the time Jesus is having this conversation that those rumors were a thing I don't know that
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and I can't say for sure that's what they mean here but you can see that their slander is
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just that it's slanderous hey you're a Samaritan you're not really a Jew that's why you have weird doctrine that we
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don't understand and we don't teach because the Samaritans don't teach biblical Doctrine and we don't think you
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are so it could be something as simple as that but Jesus tells them look I do not
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have a demon I want you to consider what it would take for Jesus to have a demon I mean
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think about that can the holy God the Eternal God have a demon
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it doesn't even make any sense but again from their perspective they use this
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demon stuff a lot the same way that we do many of us today we'd have a hard time
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recognizing if somebody was fully demon-possessed and what we would probably say first is hey that's a crazy
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person that's a person that's out of their mind right even though it may be a spiritual matter
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they may actually have a demon that isn't the thing we would jump to but back in their day remember they said
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anything that veered off from God came from a demonic entity
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whether it was a force or it was a spirit in you or whatever so again that's what they're doing here Jesus has
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a demon Matthew 12 31 this is a very serious
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accusation by the way I want you to go read Matthew 12 on your own time it's another homework assignment because you
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get the full context but I'll give you Matthew 30 12 31 right here he says therefore I say to you every sin and
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blasphemy will be forgiven men but the blasphemy against the spirit will not be
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forgiven men so I want you to understand that Jesus tells them in Matthew 12 when they say
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hey you're operating by the power of BLS above the the same it's another
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alternative word for Satan that Jesus even equates that word by the way in the Bible with Satan when they say that
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Jesus tells them this hey every single blasphemy or thing you
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say against the son of man personally you know you can mock Jesus all you want I don't recommend it but you can and
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that can be forgiven but the minute you tell the holy spirit that the ministry he's doing telling you
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that Jesus is the savior and the and the person that you ought to listen to and
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you say hey that's Satan's work not the work of the Holy Spirit you're committing a form of blasphemy
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that there's no forgiveness for now most most theologians chalk this up to a person outright rejecting God
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forever just rejecting the work of God not working so you take that for what
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you will but there is a sin that God will not forgive give and it's right
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there blasphemy against the Holy Spirit be very careful with that
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anyway he keeps going I honor my father and you dishonor me
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and Jesus is he's just repeating what he said a bunch of times in here Jesus is doing the will of his father in Heaven
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he's doing it in Truth and they're attacking him for it and he says I do not seek my glory Jesus
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was not even puffing himself up he was he was bringing the word of God and he everything he was speaking he was saying
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it this way I do this to glorify the father I do the will of my father
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over and over he makes these kind of statements you don't hear him making the statements to say hey I'm here to
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glorify myself puff myself up because even though he could do that as God
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human to human that doesn't work very well does it when I come and stand in front of you
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and I brag about hey aren't I great aren't I just the best you should listen to what I say because I am the best
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it just sounds arrogant and it comes off as as awkward even if it's true even if
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the statement I made was true it doesn't sound good and nobody receives that when somebody's puffing up themselves and so
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Jesus is saying I'm not doing that I'm coming to you glorifying the Father in Heaven who sent me here
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now Jesus had every right to Puff himself up but he didn't he says there is one who seeks and
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judges he puts everything back on glorifying God in heaven there's one God
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there's one judge and he's in heaven now Jesus is also the judge
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and all all of the judgment will be given over to Jesus you remember that
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right ultimately when you stand before God at judgment day it will be Jesus who
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you're standing before but when he came in his Earthly flesh to pay for sin
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he laid that part of his power and his authority aside and he gives all of that
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right back to the Father in heaven and he says next if anyone keeps my word
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he shall never see death um let me ask you a couple questions
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about that first of all do you believe that anybody can keep God's word perfectly
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okay so fundamentally you know that you and I can't keep God's word
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perfectly even with the holy spirit inside while we have the power to do so we won't
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first John tells us we're still Sinners and if we say we have no sin we're a liar and we make God a liar
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so we are we are still Sinners you can't perfectly keep God's word
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if you could you would live forever physically you wouldn't die if you could
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I mean death is a is a punishment it's a wage for sin right if you never sinned
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you'd have no need but look at Jesus Jesus was sinless and he came and
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willingly died to pay for sin you and I can't make up for our own sin
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we can't pay for it but I say all that with the understanding that I don't think Jesus is talking
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about the physical death here I Think Jesus is talking about eternal life
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see you're a spirit first and foremost you have a soul inside of you that soul
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is going to live forever it's either going to live forever in punishment torment separated from God or it's going
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to live on in God's presence with God forever now yes it will be reunited with the
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body you know you will be body and soul together with God forever you're promised a new body praise the Lord
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right but that's what he's saying he's saying that if you keep the word of God
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if you believe what God says you trust that his son is the savior you've trusted in the gospel message and the
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work of Jesus you will be saved and you will live forever
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but anyway look they continue on with their same kind of attack now we know
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you have a demon and again this is why I spent so much time on that background you knew it's what they were going to
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say right they said Abraham and the prophets are dead and you say if anyone keeps my
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words he won't taste death and they're like nonsense now we know you have a demon everybody's gonna die
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buddy see they take him to be a liar and then they ask are you greater than
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Abraham who is dead and the prophets they're dead
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wouldn't you ask the same question would you ask the same question you think
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if you were standing there when Jesus said all these words would you would you be overwhelmed with the truth and the
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facts of who Jesus is or would you have questioned to guess it depends on whether you're a
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Believer or not huh it's impossible to hear the word of God without being a believer
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but Jesus has been telling them the whole time that he came down from heaven he didn't start as a human being
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he starts as the Eternal Son of God in heaven he's been saying that the whole
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time the Gospel of John has shown us that Jesus is the Eternal Son of God in
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fact more so it even says he's the Creator God John chapter one
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you can't miss it all things were made by him and there
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was nothing made that was made that he didn't make you can't get around it
41:25
but the answer to their question is yes and Jesus will make that certain in just a few verses because they're asking him
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are you saying you're greater than Abraham and yes he's much greater than Abraham
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in fact he's Abraham's God he's Abraham's creator so he's much greater but look he he kind
41:45
of talks again about what we mentioned a few minutes ago if I honor myself my honor is nothing Jesus makes it clear he
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is not the only one declaring the truth to them they have the Old Testament they have
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God's word the Old Testament all of it all written all in scroll form they have
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it all they study it week in and week out he isn't the only one making the claims
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that are being made the whole of the Old Testament makes this claim doesn't it are there
42:20
Messianic prophecies in the Old Testament plenty of them and they know them they know there are they're waiting
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on this Messiah figure to come but if you're confused how about the Son
42:33
of God is he talked about in the Old Testament I challenge you as I've done with people recently go to Psalm chapter
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2 read it and tell me what its conclusion is the very end of it says
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kiss the sun lest he get even a little angry with you
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blessed are all those who put their trust in him in who the son the Son of God that's a
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thousand years before the time Jesus walked on the Earth the Old Testament was already telling
43:05
everybody hey you better trust the son you better trust the son of God
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because he is the only savior of the world and again that's Old Testament teaching
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too my father honors me Jesus says of whom you say that he is your god
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Jesus makes it clear again God is his father so if you're wondering who Jesus's father he keeps referring to is
43:28
here he makes it quite clear God is his father and Jesus tells them look you say
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that he's your God too they say that many at that time said they belonged to
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God and followed God but Jesus is making it clear that they are not genuine followers of God and they don't actually
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know God see this is the issue even in Matthew 7 when Jesus talks to those people who
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come up to him they're going to say didn't we do all this in your name and what does he say he says I never knew
44:00
you because if you're going to walk with God you're going to do it on his conditions it's going to be on the conditions that
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you trust him and are obedient there's a loving familial relationship like for
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instance if you have a human father and most of us do or did at some point if
44:18
you have a human father if you constantly disrespect your human father how good is that relationship going to
44:24
be it's not gonna be very good you keep disrespecting your heavenly father you think that relationship's going to be
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strong no and in fact if you ignore him for the balance of your life when you show up in
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front of Jesus on Judgment Day he's going to say I never knew you
44:44
keep ignoring God and you'll end up exactly where he's telling these Jews
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but if you love God and you belong to him start listening to him
44:54
start spending time with him see prayer becomes a constant companion for
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somebody who loves God it becomes just a task that you have to fulfill if you don't really love God
45:07
therefore you don't do it this correlates with our day very well
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doesn't it again many people in our day call themselves Christians but they don't do
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what God says they don't do any of it they certainly don't have a mind to
45:25
fulfill all of the things he's called them to do daily prayer too hard I got a job
45:32
daily Bible reading no way I'm going to sit for 15 20 minutes or an hour and read the Bible are you nuts
45:39
I got better things to do I got video games to play I'm gonna read the Bible
45:45
I got something else to do I got other Hobbies there's a football game on read the Bible what's wrong with you
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you see what I mean I mean they would never say that out loud right no one would ever say those
45:57
things out loud but in their minds it's exactly what they're thinking I'm not giving any time to that Bible reading stuff it's
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worthless it doesn't mean anything it doesn't help I've done it before and it doesn't do anything
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prayer my prayers just bounce off the ceiling anyway you know there's a reason for that
46:16
you keep ignoring God and his commands there's a reason why your prayers keep bouncing off the ceiling
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start humbling yourself and submitting to what God has said to do it's what Jesus pleading with these Jews to do
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get out of your own way and actually listen to the word of God stop being Hypocrites stop being phonies
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you need to trust God and you need to do what he says you need to believe the words of Jesus
46:46
you have not known him but I know him and Jesus just makes a plain statement
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here look I came down from heaven I know God the Father personally I came down with his very messages to
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share with you you don't know him you keep saying you're from God you don't know him
47:05
because if you did you'd do what he said you'd live a life that honored God you
47:10
would honor me Jesus to say you'd honor me because I came from him he would be asserting and affirming the
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same thing I'm saying in your heart right now if you belong to God that's what Jesus is saying and he's
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doing the same I'm sure right now in your hearts through his word I know he's not standing here but his holy spirit is
47:32
moving there's no question and some of you are being just as hard to him as you were yesterday
47:38
or the day before or for all of your life potentially you need to soften and be humble and
47:45
hear the word of God then Jesus says if I say I do not know
47:50
him then I would be a liar like you but I do know him and keep his word see
47:57
they don't view themselves as Liars but saying they have a relationship with God when they do not that makes them a liar
48:04
it's a phony claim and it's a phony claim being made by many Christians or
48:09
so-called Christians today I know God I love God
48:15
but I'm gonna live however I want again this confession of the heart nobody would say this stuff out loud
48:21
they would say I know God and I love God but they would never say well I'm not really a big phony I don't actually pray
48:27
I don't actually read the Bible I don't go to church who would waste their time going to church
48:34
you guys lost your minds it just takes up an hour of my evening or maybe two and a half hours on a
48:41
Sunday morning wow
48:46
but you think a Christian would love to be here wouldn't they what did Christian love to be here
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think right now do you love to be here do you want to be where you are right this moment could you imagine yourself
48:59
any other place and I don't necessarily mean here in this building I just mean at church
49:05
fellowshipping with the body of Christ could you imagine yourself any other place
49:10
if you could then there's probably a heart problem because again when I get up in the morning on Sunday mornings I can't wait
49:16
to get here can't wait to get here I've prayed I've studied I've come
49:22
prepared to serve to Fellowship to worship it's just the truth and I hope it's the
49:29
same for you these Jews said they were of God but Jesus said they aren't
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and he said your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day this statement right here throws
49:40
theologians into a real Frenzy they don't like this statement very much
49:46
it's hard it's hard to wrap our minds and heads around this because remember Jesus has not yet died
49:54
so Jesus has not yet gone down into Hades and and met with Abraham face to face in
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the spirit Realm so that hasn't even happened yet so what we're dealing with is somewhere
50:08
in Abraham's life when he actually was alive he saw the day of Jesus coming
50:17
how did it happen though we don't have a single text in here that says Abraham saw Jesus's day
50:24
but Jesus makes this statement now what it says literally is Abraham rejoiced
50:30
right he rejoiced to see his day and the statement is is interesting there's
50:36
basically three ways that Bible teachers or pastors interpret this theologians
50:41
Abraham rejoiced because he looked forward to the day that God would bring his Messiah into the world
50:47
and that makes a lot of sense it's it's one of those things that could be true because God had given Abraham a son of
50:56
promise if you remember Isaac you remember that right in his old age and God made promises that said that
51:04
in your seed all the Earth in in your seed all the nations of the Earth are
51:10
all the families of the earth will be blessed you remember that so I could I could see this this one being right he
51:16
believed that the Messiah would come through his family line that's a possibility now it could be that Abraham rejoiced
51:23
because God gave him a vision of the future time when Jesus would fulfill the Plan of Redemption and actually showed
51:29
him in a vision or a future prophecy that hey Jesus would be the one remember
51:36
this Abraham met face to face with the son of God he did turn to Genesis 18. you'll see it
51:43
the Lord and two angels show up under a tarabant tree Abraham runs out of his tent worships and then makes them some
51:50
food and then Jesus talks to him about destroying Sodom and Gomorrah remember
51:55
that Lord what if there's 50 found there Lord what if there's 40 there or 30s
52:01
there it's all the way down to 10. remember that conversation that was with the Lord with God face to face the son of God
52:10
so he saw it so it is possible but the thing is we don't have a single place in the Old Testament that records Abraham
52:16
receiving that prophecy we don't have it doesn't mean it didn't happen it just we don't have it
52:23
or it could mean Abraham rejoiced because he understood by a couple of the statements made that God would
52:29
accomplish this redemption in the future and again this is one I kind of already spoiled Genesis 22 8 and Abraham said my
52:38
son God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering so the two of
52:44
them went together now you'll remember this when he went to take Isaac to offer him and sacrifice him to the Lord called
52:51
the Aki da in Hebrew The Binding of Isaac this whole scene that's a very big
52:57
deal in Jewish culture by the way just so you know that is a huge thing they have no idea or they don't believe it
53:04
talks about Jesus but for you and I it's a perfect picture of God the Father sacrificing his son
53:11
but he doesn't make Abraham sacrifice his son it's a picture and but he also he said this and this
53:17
this is the one that I actually ruined Genesis 22 18 in your seat all the nations of the Earth shall be blessed
53:24
because you have obeyed my voice and and you'll know if you're in our Sunday school class we've been going through
53:30
verse by verse through the Book of Genesis we have heard this said several times listen to all the places that that
53:36
or a very similar statement like it are said Genesis 12 Genesis 18 Genesis 22
53:43
Genesis 26 Genesis 28 and then it's quoted in the New Testament in Acts
53:49
chapter 3 and Galatians chapter 3. this is a prophecy that is actually
53:56
utilized in the Book of Genesis several times by God speaking to people but then
54:01
in the New Testament to reference Jesus coming through this line and all of the
54:07
nations of the Earth being blessed in the line of Abraham so again this one is probably the most
54:13
plausible if you're looking to understand Jesus's statement but something that I find fascinating
54:19
here is look at the second half of the statement pass the comma
54:24
because he says because people argue did he really see it or is it just talking about there was something future but
54:31
notice Jesus's second half of the statement and if you can't argue it he said and he saw it and was glad
54:40
so somehow Abraham did see it I can't explain it to you holy I don't
54:46
have a Biblical reference to to hang it on but Jesus's words are true
54:51
Abraham did see that day somehow in the future he saw it I don't know how
54:57
that works but he did and it doesn't matter how we interpret the first part of that statement
55:04
Jesus made it very clear that he did see his day he saw it and he was glad about it he
55:10
was glad but remember unlike us Abraham had met the Lord Jesus many times
55:16
face to face meant him so he did know it so it makes sense that he would have
55:21
revealed something like this to him again we don't have it in the scripture so
55:26
all right they go on we're almost done you are not yet 50 years old and you
55:33
have seen Abraham they just don't get what he's been saying do they
55:40
because again Jesus keeps telling them look I came down from heaven
55:47
so how old do you think Jesus would be if you were calculating his actual age
55:54
it'd be no way to calculate it right there's no time in heaven Jesus is eternal
56:01
yeah boggles our minds doesn't it we can't really understand we're finite so we don't understand we have been placed
56:08
on a fixed timeline every human being that's ever lived other than Jesus is on a purely fixed timeline there's a start
56:16
and there will be an end Jesus is the one and only unique human
56:22
who has an experience different than that he started outside of time in fact I
56:29
shouldn't even say started he just exists and and look what he says just in case
56:36
you're wondering look at this part of the statement verse 58 Jesus said to them most assuredly I say to you before
56:43
Abraham was I am
56:49
what does that mean and I think some of you are really good Bible scholars so you know exactly what he's referring to
56:55
right what was he making reference to what part of the Bible
57:01
Exodus and in what conversation specifically
57:08
there we go there we go burning bush that's right flip over with me real quick Exodus three keep your place here
57:14
we're almost done I won't read all this I just want to show it to you Exodus chapter 3 in case you're not familiar
57:22
Exodus chapter 3 Moses is feeding the flock of Jethro and look I'm going to read the very beginning of it in chapter
57:28
three so you can see it now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law the priest of
57:34
Midian and he led the flock to the back of the desert and came to Horeb the Mountain of God okay and the angel of
57:42
the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush so he
57:48
looked and behold the Bush was burning with fire but the Bush was not consumed now skip down to verse 14. and God said
57:57
to Moses I am who I am and he said thus you shall say to the children of Israel
58:03
I am has sent you sent me to you now that in the Hebrew he is a it's a
58:12
double construction of the same word it is the word
58:19
and what that what that would literally be translated to if you were if you just literally translating it to be to be
58:27
or the way we render it I am I am
58:33
or I am that I am I am who I am what he's saying I am the self-existent one
58:41
I am God Almighty the self-existent one
58:47
that's what he's saying and Jesus makes this very Claim about himself
58:52
now it's something I've taught you since I've been here and I'm sure other pastors have said the same thing the one
58:57
speaking out of that burning bush is Jesus there is no manifestation of God that is
59:03
visible that is God the father or God the holy spirit it's always Jesus
59:09
and here he makes it very clear that it was him when when Moses came up and saw this
59:15
Burning Bush that was not being consumed the God speaking to him out of that Bush was Jesus
59:22
you see that now when people make this statement they say did Jesus really claim to be God
59:30
if you know your Bible between Exodus 3 and this passage here in John 8 there is
59:36
no question Jesus claims to be God himself
59:42
in fact he claims to be the almighty God speaking from the bush
59:47
I am God almighty I am that I am I am the self-existent
59:53
one that is the claim of the Son of God Jesus do you believe him
1:00:00
do you believe who he is be sure you do because look at the
1:00:06
reaction look at the reaction verse 59 back in John chapter 8. look at the reaction
1:00:14
then they took up stones to throw at him but Jesus hid himself and went out of the Temple
1:00:20
going through the midst of them and so passed by so the reaction of them learning that
1:00:27
they were talking to the almighty God right in front of them was blasphemy
1:00:33
he's a phony pick up stones and kill that man could you imagine
1:00:41
could you imagine I kind of wonder if Jesus stood in many churches today and
1:00:46
he spoke the same words he spoke to the Jews would they pick up stones to Stone it
1:00:53
I I wonder because again when God speaks he speaks absolute truth
1:00:59
when the Creator God talks to his creation he doesn't pull any punches
1:01:05
he isn't mean but he is direct God's word is always direct but the
1:01:12
hearts of sinful Unholy ungodly dark Wicked people
1:01:19
hate God and even standing before the almighty
1:01:25
they would blaspheme him to the to his face that's what you have to understand about
1:01:31
this is you know I wish it was different I wish it wasn't true that the Heart of
1:01:37
Darkness out here in the world would someday just bend and bow
1:01:42
but they won't the Book of Revelation tells us that as God is pouring out multiple wrath judgments on this Earth
1:01:50
21 of them all in a row the people will not repent of their
1:01:55
adulteries and their sorceries and their wickedness their theme their thievery they won't repent
1:02:04
even though they're watching the wrath of God an angel is flying through Heaven preaching the Eternal gospel the 144 000
1:02:12
Jewish people are witnessing the gospel throughout the whole world again plenty of people are believing
1:02:19
with those who won't and those who are hard against God they continue to shake their fists at him
1:02:24
to the point where this culminates at the end of that seven year period of Wrath over half of the Earth has died
1:02:32
half of the people on the Earth today that's 8 billion over 4 billion people if this happens
1:02:39
soon dead and they all gather the armies around in
1:02:45
Northern Israel in a place called Armageddon and they they stand there not to fight
1:02:53
with Israel to fight with God as he comes back to the Earth to Proclaim it's his
1:02:58
they want to fight with him and kill him when he descends Out of Heaven
1:03:07
trust me you don't want to stand in the face of God and Proclaim him to have a demon or
1:03:13
to be someone that you don't think he is just believe his words humble yourself
1:03:21
God loves God sent his son to pay for sin he sent him into the world to pay
1:03:28
he wants to reconcile his relationship with us who keeps shaking our fist in his face
1:03:36
submit to the gospel submit to who Jesus really is
1:03:41
your God and your savior until it before it's too late
1:03:47
there will be a day when God will stop all of this the time of Grace is winding down
1:03:53
the church age will end and the church will be taken off of this earth now there will still be an opportunity for
1:03:59
some to be saved but there will be some who have already rejected they will be locked in
1:04:05
to the Judgment that's going to come second Thessalonians chapter 2 God will
1:04:11
send them strong delusion that they should believe a lie when the Antichrist Rises up he's going to have power he's
1:04:18
going to be able to do things don't wait trust God now humble yourself
1:04:25
before God and he will lift you up confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus
1:04:30
and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead and you will be saved
1:04:36
that's the word of God I submit this to you I pray that you
1:04:41
that you yield and you hear and you Believers get busy with the gospel message get busy with Kingdom
1:04:48
Business you need to be about your father's business not your own let's pray
1:04:53
father we love you we praise you we do thank you for Jesus we praise you for your word
1:05:00
God thank you for always telling us what's right and wrong and the truth and not just leaving us to figure it out
1:05:07
or find it on our own thank you for revealing truth to us father thank you for loving us enough to
1:05:13
send your holy Eternal son to pay for our sin God I do pray and we pray that you would
1:05:20
use this church as a light and assault in the community in our world and father
1:05:25
do the ministry through us help us to be faithful and holy and fully committed to
1:05:31
the work of the work that you've given us from heaven we love you and praise you we do all of
1:05:38
this for your glory in Jesus holy name amen thank you very much
