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to the Gospel of John, John chapter 
8. Last section in John chapter 
8, just a bit of a review as to where we are in the gospel 
of John. We're in the larger part of the 
book, referred to typically as the book of signs. So when Jesus 
starts his public ministry in chapter 1 at verse 19, we see 
the emphasis on his doctrine, on his miracles, on his actions 
up until chapter 12 and verse 15. In the more immediate context, 
in chapter 6, we see Jesus teaching in a synagogue in Capernaum, 
and that's around the time of the Passover. About six months 
later, in John 7, we see Jesus in Jerusalem, and there he teaches 
at the Feast of Tabernacles. And here, specifically in John 
chapter 8, we see that it's the day following the Feast of Tabernacles. So Jesus returns early in the 
morning, according to John 8, to go back to the temple, and 
there he teaches. And there is teaching that goes 
out to all the people there, obviously, but there is an anger 
amongst the religious leaders. So they try to double down on 
our Lord Jesus. They continue to press Him in 
terms of His authority or claims to authority and His identity. So that all comes to a head in 
what we saw the last time in John 8, verses 37 and following. They claim to be of their father, 
Abraham. They claim to be of their father, 
God. Jesus denies their claim, and 
Jesus in John 8, 44, tells them the truth. You are of your father, 
the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He's 
a liar and a murderer from the beginning. When he tells lies, 
there's no truth in him. So obviously they could have 
repented, they could have forsaken, they could have received the 
admonishment of the Lord Jesus, but we see rather that they doubled 
down. So verses 48 to 59 conclude this section. There's a lot going 
on, so we're gonna break it up into two parts. So this morning 
we'll look at 48 to 53, and then take up the latter half in 54 
to 59 next week, God willing. But I wanna read beginning in 
John 8 at verse 31. Then Jesus said to those Jews 
who believed him, If you abide in my word, you are my disciples 
indeed, and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make 
you free. They answered him, We are Abraham's descendants 
and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can you say you 
will be made free? Jesus answered them, most assuredly 
I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a 
slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore, if the son makes you 
free, you shall be free indeed. I know that you are Abraham's 
descendants, but you seek to kill me because my word has no 
place in you. I speak what I have seen with 
my father, and you do what you have seen with your father. They 
answered and said to him, Abraham is our father. Jesus said to 
them, if you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham. 
But now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth 
which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. You 
do the deeds of your father. They said to him, we were not 
born of fornication. We have one father, God. Jesus 
said to them, if God were your father, you would love me. For 
I proceeded forth and came from God, nor have I come of myself, 
but he sent me. Why do you not understand my 
speech? Because you are not able to listen to my word. You are 
of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you 
want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning 
and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in 
him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, 
for he is a liar and the father of it. But because I tell the 
truth, you do not believe me. Which of you convicts me of sin? 
And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? He who 
is of God hears God's words. Therefore, you do not hear, because 
you are not of God. Then the Jews answered and said 
to him, do we not say rightly that you are a Samaritan and 
have a demon? Jesus answered, I do not have 
a demon, but I honor my father and you dishonor me. And I do 
not seek my own glory. There is one who seeks and judges. 
Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he shall 
never see death. Then the Jews said to him, Now 
we know that you have a demon. Abraham is dead, and the prophets. 
And you say, If anyone keeps my word, he shall never taste 
death? Are you greater than our father Abraham, who is dead, 
and the prophets are dead? Who do you make yourself out 
to be? Jesus answered, If I honor myself, my honor is nothing. 
It is my father who honors me, of whom you say that he is your 
God. Yet you have not known him, but I know him. And if I say 
I do not know him, I shall be a liar like you. But I do know 
him and keep his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced 
to see my day, and he sought and was glad. Then the Jews said 
to him, you are not yet 50 years old, and have you seen Abraham? 
Jesus said to them, most assuredly I say to you, before Abraham 
was, I am. Then they took up stones to throw 
at him. But Jesus himself went, Jesus 
hid himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst 
of them, and so passed by. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our 
gracious God and Holy Father, we thank you for the word of 
truth. We thank you for Genesis to Revelation. We thank you for 
the promise of the Old Testament and the realization that we find 
in the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ in his incarnation. We 
bless you that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and 
we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the 
Father, full of grace and truth. Thank you for the eyes to see 
this reality. Thank you for the faith that 
you have granted to us to lay hold of Him, for salvation, for 
that blessed justification that you freely give. Father, we know 
as well there were enemies in His earthly ministry. There are 
enemies today. We know that in the churches 
of Christ there are those that are unsaved, and we pray that 
today would be the day of salvation. They would hear the words of 
eternal life, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, and by the 
grace of God Most High, they would come to know Jesus Christ 
as Lord and Savior. Bless your gospel. Send it forth, 
conquering and to conquer, and be glorified throughout the earth. 
Forgive us now for all of our sins and all of our unrighteousness. 
Cleanse us in that precious blood of the Lamb of God. And we pray 
for the ministry and the aid of the Holy Spirit as we consider 
this passage of Scripture. And we ask in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, as we consider this particular 
passage, as we've noted, Jesus did not mince words. When the 
people that were opposing him claimed to have Abraham as their 
father and God as their father, Jesus says, it's really the devil 
that is your father. Remember in Matthew chapter 23, 
he upbraids the scribes and the Pharisees, and he calls them 
hypocrites. He calls them a brood of vipers. 
For Christ, truth is everything. In fact, we'll see that emphasis 
here in his words in verse 51. If anyone keeps my word, he shall 
never see death. It's truth that matters to our 
blessed Savior. It is lies and deception that 
issue forth from the devil. And as I said, these Jews could 
have put silence to his words if they had manifested repentance. If they would have said, we are 
sorry for our sins against you, but they don't do that. Rather, 
they imitate their father, the devil. They continue to traffic 
in lies. And we see that the chapter culminates 
with them wanting to murder the Lord Jesus Christ. They understood 
the implication of his words. They understood the implication 
of his statement in verse 58, that he, when he says, I am, 
he likens himself to the father revealed at the bush in Exodus 
chapter three. So instead of repentance, they 
take up stones to throw at him, to try to exterminate him and 
destroy him. So today, as we look at the particular 
section 48-59, I would call it the imitation of the devil by 
the Jews. And there are several considerations. Two we'll look at this morning, 
and as I said, two next week. So first, we have the accusation 
of the Jews in verses 48-51. Secondly, the arrogance of the 
Jews in verses 52-53. And we'll notice that simply 
repeating an assertion doesn't make it valid. It doesn't make 
it true. It doesn't somehow cause it to 
shine forth in glory. And then God willing, we'll see 
the revelation of the Savior's glory next week in 54 to 56, 
and then the attempted murder by the Jews in verses 57 to 59. 
So a bit of a map as to what's going on in this section. But 
let's look first at the accusation of the Jews in verses 48 to 51. 
We cannot forget the context. That's why I read it in its context, 
because it's crucial to understand what they are doing and what 
they are asserting and declaring concerning our blessed Savior, 
and the degree to which they will go to try to rid the world 
of the Son of God who came into the into the world, sinners to 
save. So they claim Abraham is their 
father. Notice in verse 37, he says, 
I know that you're Abraham's descendants physically, but you 
seek to kill me because my word has no place in you. I speak 
what I've seen with my father and you do what you have seen 
with your father. So they double down again and 
they answer and they say to him, Abraham is our father. So Jesus 
said to them, if you were Abraham's children, you would do the works 
of Abraham. But now you seek to kill me, 
a man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham 
did not do this. Abraham was not the sort of person, 
when he received revelation from God, who would raise his fist 
at him. No, rather, Abraham was submissive 
to the Lord. Abraham saw a manifestation of 
God according to Genesis chapter 18. Abraham saw a glimpse of 
the gospel that was coming in Genesis chapter 22, when he takes 
up Isaac to Mount Moriah, and there he binds him, and there 
he's going to kill him. He learns the lesson there that 
the Lord will in fact provide. And so when they turn around, 
they see that ram caught in the thicket, we get that Abraham 
understands what is going to take place in terms of redemptive 
history. So Jesus says, you're not like 
Abraham. Don't claim that kind of paternity when you want to 
destroy a man who is only here to tell you the truth. So when 
he says in verse 41, you do the deeds of your father, then they 
said to him, we were not born of fornication. Could be a dig 
or a slight at Jesus. They suppose that he in fact 
had been born of fornication, but it's also probably that they 
are not sort of outsiders to Israel's God. They're not outsiders 
like, say, for instance, Samaritans, that they're going to accuse 
Jesus of being. And then they claim we have one Father, God. So it's on the heels of that 
that Jesus indicts them and upbraids them for their wicked conduct. And as I said, the Jews could 
have owned his indictment and repented. There's a proverb, 
Proverbs chapter 14, 17, it says in verse 28, even a fool is counted 
wise when he holds his peace. When he shuts his lips, he is 
considered perceptive. You've probably heard the human 
addition to that. If persons hear you silently, 
they might think that you're a fool. Don't open your mouth 
and convince them that you are, in fact, a fool. There is a certain 
amount of wisdom in keeping one's mouth closed. The Jews should 
have followed that, but the Jews taking the tact that they did 
evidence or confirm that Christ's declaration of their paternity 
being the devil himself is true. They follow suit with what is 
true of the devil. They continue to engage in lies 
and with this murderous rage. Cyril of Alexandria made the 
observation, they are hurt by the Savior telling them that 
they are not from God. I don't know if they were hurt, 
that might not be the word that I choose, but nevertheless they 
were affected by what they had heard. from the Savior telling 
them that they are not from God. And in no time, they manifest 
the precise image of the devil's wickedness in themselves. This 
is proved positive of his assertion in verse 44. When he tells them 
that you're of your father, the devil, he gives them enough rope 
to hang themselves. And that's precisely what they 
do in 48 to 59. He goes on to say, they dare 
to say that God who comes from God is a Samaritan and a Deboniac. Well, it is really they who have 
in themselves the bitter demon who is an enemy of God. When 
they get angry that they were a number of times called sons 
of the devil and liars, they show by their actions that they 
deserve the accusation. So they are embracing it and 
by demonstration showing the validity of his statement that 
they were in fact children of the devil. You're not Abraham's 
seed spiritually, you're certainly not the seed of God Most High 
redemptively, but rather you have affinity with the devil 
who's a murderer from the beginning and who only traffics in lies. 
Now that brings us to their accusation in verse 48, then the Jews answered 
and said to him, do we not say rightly? They're convinced beyond 
a shadow of a doubt. And brethren, just as we've considered 
John chapter 8, the truth claims of our blessed Savior and the 
things that he has said and declared concerning himself, this is outlandish. There's no deliberation, there's 
no, well, we ought to really think about this, we really ought 
to confer with one another, and the sacred texts in the Old Testament 
pretty much try to discern whether or not what he's saying is true. 
Oh no, they just simply say, do we not say rightly that you 
are a Samaritan and have a demon? Now, in this particular context, 
Samaritans were not looked upon favorably. In fact, look at John 
4, specifically at verse 9, when Jesus meets that Samaritan woman 
by the well. In John 4, specifically at verse 
9, then the woman of Samaria said to him, How is it that you, 
being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman? For Jews 
have no dealings with Samaritans. This goes all the way back to 
the Old Testament. When God brings devastation upon 
the northern tribes of Israel, Assyria takes many of the inhabitants 
of the northern kingdom back to Assyria. And as was the practice 
with the Assyrians, peoples that they conquered, they would settle 
in other parts of the world. And it was quite brilliant. I 
think I've shared this before. They take sea peoples and put 
them in the mountains. They take mountain people and 
put them on the seashore. Why is that? Because you keep 
them destabilized and you keep them in a position of disadvantage 
so that they cannot rise up against the Assyrian Empire. Well, that's 
what happened in the northern kingdom of Israel. And we see 
that initially when they come into this land and they start 
worshiping false gods. So the true and living God sends 
lions to consume a bunch of them. And so then they say, well, ask 
that priest in Bethel about this whole arrangement. And so basically 
what they do is they engage in what's called syncretism. They 
marry the worship of their gods with the worship of the true 
and living God. Now, the text of scripture does not take that 
lightly. Any attempt whatsoever to mingle 
the true and living God with any other God is idolatry, it 
is blasphemy, and that was condemned. And so this is the history, the 
religious history of Samaria. Omri is the man, the wicked king 
Omri, who founded the capital of the north in Samaria. So they 
were not looked upon favorably. And the idea is primarily heresy. It is primarily bad doctrine. It is primarily idolatry and 
those things that are a departure from the camp of the true and 
living God. So again, I think that's probably what they're 
intimating in verse 41. We were not born of fornication. 
We're not sort of, you know, spiritually diverse in terms 
of our approach to the living and true God. We worship Yahweh 
and we worship Him alone. And so when they charge that 
Jesus is a Samaritan, they're excluding him from the true people 
of God. Do we not say rightly that you 
are a Samaritan? But then notice, they go on to 
say, and have a demon. They claim this on three occasions 
with reference to our blessed Savior. They do so in chapter 
seven at verse 20, again in chapter 10 in verse 20, and then in Matthew's 
gospel when they accuse Jesus of casting out demons by Beelzebub. So they're alleging that the 
one who speaks the truth, as it is in God Most High, they're 
alleging that the one who became flesh and dwelt among us, they're 
alleging that the one who is sent by the Father on this mission 
of mercy is actually a demon. He's actually sort of animated 
by demonism. This is a horrific claim, but 
it's one that goes hand in hand with heresy. So I think that 
the Jews here, and I don't want to commend these guys whatsoever, 
but they saw the close connection between heresy and demonism. Why do you guys use a confession 
of faith? Why do you guys teach doctrine? 
Why do you guys teach the truth as it is in Jesus? Because it's 
the truth as it is in Jesus that differentiates us from the world. If we do not get things right, 
then we will die in our sins. Jesus says that in 824. If you 
do not believe that I am, you will die in your sins. We need to understand the truth. If we don't understand the truth, 
then it might be the case that we have more affinity with demons 
and the devil. The psalmist put this connection 
together well in Psalm 106, 36, and 37. He's reflecting on Israel's 
history and the fact that they were not always faithful in terms 
of their covenant obligation. It says, they served their idols, 
which became a snare to them. They even sacrificed their sons 
and their daughters to demons. See, when you change from or 
you go from the worship of the true and the living God, and 
you start to worship that which is not God, you open yourself 
up to a whole host of bad things, very wretched and very horrible 
things. When you side with the devil, 
it's murder and lies that define you. It is murder and lies that 
characterize you. So these men are evidencing that 
affinity with their father, the devil, in the very accusation 
they make against the Lord. He's got a Samaritan, and he's 
a demon-possessed man. They don't see it, that they 
have far more in common with the Samaritans in the rejection 
of the true and living God, and in demonism by the fact that 
they want to slaughter Jesus, who never did anything wrong. 
So these men are way out to lunch with reference to their accusation 
concerning our Lord. But let's see how Jesus responds 
to this. So in verse 48, do we not say 
rightly that you are a Samaritan and have a demon? Notice what 
he doesn't say. Well, you know, you're entitled 
to your opinion because everybody gets to say whatever it is they 
want to say. No, he fights this. He defends 
himself. He shows what his position is. He negates the fact, or he negates, 
rather, this accusation that he is demon-possessed. Notice 
the simple denial in 49a. Jesus answered, I do not have 
a demon. It's a good answer, right? Somebody 
accuses you of being demonic. Well, that's a great way to respond. 
I don't have a demon. Now, if we said that, they could 
still surmise, I don't know, he might actually have a demon. 
So there needs to be some corroborating evidence. There needs to be some 
proof. There needs to be some manifestation 
that this denial is in fact valid and legitimate. And this is what 
Jesus does. He gives this corroborating evidence 
to declare that he does not have a demon. And he does so in three 
ways. First, he speaks concerning his 
honor of the Father. Secondly, that he does not seek 
his own glory. And thirdly, that he speaks the 
words of eternal life. That's what he's answering there. 
And so much of his responses to the unbelieving Jews that 
he deals with in his earthly ministry always hinges upon his 
identity, his authority. Remember at that Feast of Tabernacles 
in John 7, they asked the question, where did this man get his doctrine? Where does this man get his education? He's not a man of letters. He 
didn't go to the rabbi schools. He didn't go to Bible college. 
He didn't go to seminary. Who does he think he is? So, 
so many of their questions had to do with his authority and 
with his identification. And he constantly, constantly 
answers with reference to his authority and his identification. So they are never able to say, 
well, you know, we asked him these simple questions and he 
just wouldn't answer. That's all he ever did was answer. You just didn't happen to like 
the answer. See, that's another common symptom 
of sinful man. God tells us very clearly in 
his word what he calls us to. If we don't like it, it doesn't 
mean that God is silent. It rather means that we don't 
care about what He has spoken. So let's look at what Jesus responds. Notice He says that He honors 
the Father. Brethren, demons don't honor 
the Father, do they? No, that's kind of what it is 
to be a demon. You're anti-God, you're anti-Christ, 
you hate righteousness, you hate lawfulness. When you look at 
a society like ours, you see the imprint of demonism all over 
it. Lies and murder and rage and enmity and chaos and destruction. Jesus says, I honor the Father. 
Demon-possessed men don't honor the true and the living God. 
It's a very simple declaration in terms of a response. I do 
not have a demon. So the recurring emphasis, look 
at verse 49 again. I do not have a demon, but I 
honor, notice, my father and you dishonor me. He continually 
underscores the intimacy that he has with the father. They've 
claimed that God is their father. Jesus has denied or denounced 
that claim, but Jesus always speaks of that intimacy. He has 
my father as his referent. I honor him. The principle of 
a house divided argues against him having a demon. I mentioned 
Matthew 12. You can go there just to evidence 
or to show what Jesus is doing in terms of his response, this 
denial to the claim or the accusation that he has a demon. Notice in 
Matthew chapter 12 verse 22, then one was brought to him who 
was demon-possessed, blind and mute, and he healed him, so that 
the blind and mute man both spoke and saw. And all the multitudes 
were amazed and said, could this be the son of David? It's a great 
question. That evoked the right response 
from the multitudes. But of course, in addition to 
the multitudes, you had the religious elite. You had the religious 
leaders. You had the guys that were very 
much concerned to protect their status, to protect their position, 
to protect their prestige. As far as they were concerned, 
Jesus posed a threat. Jesus did not subscribe to their 
form of externalism and formalism, their empty sort of, or their 
dead men in tomb sort of approach to Christianity, their filth 
inside of a cup approach to true religion. But then notice in 
verse 24, now when the Pharisees heard it, they said, this fellow 
does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the 
demons. So he uses this illustration 
of a house divided that cannot stand. Jesus knew their thoughts 
and said to them, every kingdom divided against itself is brought 
to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself 
will not stand. If Satan casts out Satan, he 
is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 
And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them 
out? Therefore they shall be your judges. But if I cast out 
demons by the Spirit of God, which He did, listen to what 
he says next. If I do cast out demons by the 
Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. And 
the kingdom hasn't come in full glory and consummate blessing, 
but the kingdom of God had come in the person and the work of 
our Lord Jesus Christ. In other words, it's not the 
second advent we're waiting for to see the kingdom of God. The kingdom is upon us. The blessed 
Christ is at the right hand of the Father, where He rules and 
He reigns over all things for the good of His church. And so 
Jesus uses this illustration to disavow them of this notion 
that He casts out demons by Beelzebub. Notice in verse 29, or how can 
one enter a strongman's house and plunder his goods unless 
he first binds the strongman? And then he will plunder his 
house. He who is not with me is against me, and he who does 
not gather with me scatters abroad. Look at Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 
12. See, when Jesus responds sometimes, 
we might think that's a bit of an odd way to go with it. You've 
said, I don't have a demon, and then he goes on to speak of his 
father, honoring his father. That is a most wise and glorious 
way to respond, because demon-possessed men don't honor the father. It's just that simple. Notice 
in 1 Corinthians 12, verse 3, Therefore I make known to you 
that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus a curse, and 
no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. So this is the nature of his 
defense, the recurring emphasis on his relationship to the Father, 
my Father. The fact that he honors the Father 
something that a demon-possessed man wouldn't do, but as well 
we've got to ponder the implication of his words. Now, brethren, 
these Jews had tangled with him already. If you go back to John 
5, specifically at verse 23, Jesus makes this statement, that 
all should honor the son just as they honor the father. He 
who does not honor the son does not honor the father who sent 
him. So going back to our text in verse 49, as the first line 
of evidence, to declare that he does not have a demon. He 
says, I do not have a demon, but I honor my father and you 
dishonor me. So he is addressing their accusation. He is addressing them indirectly, 
but very pointedly. That they dishonor Jesus betrays 
the fact that they dishonor the father. Because the two go hand 
in hand, one true and living God who exists eternally as Father, 
Son, and Holy Spirit. You deny the Father, you deny 
the Son. You deny the Son, you deny the 
Father. And in this instance, Jesus lays 
this upon Beth. It is this accusation, characteristic 
of what the devil himself would say, that identifies you as children 
of the devil. I do not have a demon, but I 
honor my father, and you dishonor me. Now notice, secondly, to 
sort of corroborate that he doesn't have a demon, he says that he 
does not seek his own glory. Verse 50, I do not seek my own 
glory, there is one who seeks and judges. Brethren, again, 
that's contrary to a demon-possessed man. Now, I'm probably gonna 
get in trouble here, but all of our Facebook statuses and 
all of our tweets that sort of extol our virtue and our greatness 
and our blessedness among our fellows has more affinity with 
a devilish approach to things than it does with a godly approach 
to things. See, the people of God are supposed 
to be humble. The people of God are not supposed 
to seek their own glory. The people of God are supposed 
to be like Samson. Oh, people think that Samson 
was this big bumbling oaf that was governed and driven by his 
lusts. Four times in the Samson narratives, 
it tells us that the spirit of the Lord came upon Samson. You know how we know at least 
one bit of evidence that Samson was not some big bumbling oaf 
driven by his lusts? When that brother killed a lion, 
he didn't Facebook about it. He didn't even tweet it. He called 
no attention to it whatsoever. He didn't seek his own glory. Brethren, I have got to tell 
you, if I ever meet a lion on my way home from the church, 
back to Woodbine, and I happen to kill a lion with my bare hands, 
you're going to hear about it. You're going to see it on my 
wife's Facebook. You're gonna see selfies. You're 
gonna see it at nausea That will be the thing I talk about until 
my lord comes again in glory to judge the living and the dead 
Samson doesn't do that Samson doesn't seek his own glory Samson 
isn't out for himself. He's out for God and that's what 
Jesus says to silence these men I don't have a demon I'm not 
out for my own glory. There is one who glorifies me. He's certainly conscious of that 
reality. He's certainly conscious of the 
fact that he is one with the Father, and there is a reciprocal 
glory between the Father and the Son and the Spirit. He's 
not denouncing or denying. He's not saying that that's somehow 
bad, but he's telling these men. I don't have a demon. Demon-possessed 
men would try to court you. They would try to get glory from 
you. They would try to look good in 
your eyes. They would be completely opposite 
or contrary to the way that Christ is relative to these men. They 
would be yes men. They would just go along to get 
along. They would agree with the scribes and the Pharisees. 
They would agree with the Sadducees. They wouldn't refute them. They 
wouldn't resist them. They wouldn't reject them. Because 
for a demon-possessed man, truth doesn't matter, God's Word doesn't 
matter, veracity doesn't matter, faithfulness doesn't matter. 
All that matters is that I'm looked upon favorably by this 
particular group of people. And so Jesus denounces that. 
Jesus says, I do not seek my own glory. He goes on to say, 
there is one who seeks and judges. And that judgment there again, 
brethren, he was talking to people that are blaspheming him. He's 
talking to people who have denounced him as a Samaritan and as a man 
demon possessed. And he wants to remind them that 
words are something they will be judged on. Matthew 12, had 
we continued on in that particular section, we would have seen Jesus 
say that men will give an account for every idle word that they 
speak. That text terrifies me. It's 
idle words. Idle words. That means words 
that really don't matter. What about the blasphemy? What 
about the abject wickedness that we oftentimes speak? What about 
the vile things that actually proceed out of our mouths? If 
he says that we're gonna give an account or be judged based 
on idle words, how much more? Blasphemy is like this. You're 
a Samaritan and you have a demon. He says, there's one who honors 
and there is one who will judge. Now Jesus speaks to the judgment 
that will come upon Israel in what we call the Olivet Discourse. 
There will be a temporal judgment for these unbelieving Jews in 
the first century. In accordance with the curses 
of the covenant, Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28, they will 
fill up the measure of wrath and God Most High will pour it 
upon their heads when Jerusalem is surrounded by armies and when 
there is that abomination of desolation. But it's not just 
the temporal judgment that Jesus alludes to. It's not just the 
temporal judgments that you and I have to fear if we're not believers 
in Jesus Christ. It's the eternal judgment of 
God Most High. See, right now, the destruction 
of our city would be a bad thing. The destruction of Jerusalem 
in AD 70 was a bad thing. The destruction of their temple, 
the destruction of their cult, the destruction of their covenant, 
the destruction of their status as God's special people, that 
was a horrific thing. In fact, when you look at that 
event, it's not the body count that matters, it's the covenantal 
significance that's in view. But you know what? They did get 
dispersed. They did go into other nations. 
They were scattered. It's that coming judgment. It's 
the day of judgment. It's the song we sang before 
the preaching of the word, that great God, what do I see? That 
God who will judge each and every one of us. 2 Corinthians 5 tells 
us we will stand before the judgment seat of Christ to give an account 
of deeds done in the body, whether good or ill. That's terrifying 
stuff, isn't it? The thought that we're going 
to meet the Savior, the fact that we're going to set our eyes 
upon the Son of God who came into this world, sinners to save. 
Well, these Jews were in his presence. These Jews, instead 
of worshiping him, these Jews, instead of bowing to him, these 
Jews, instead of saying, man, this is the one, this is the 
servant of Yahweh that we see in the prophet Isaiah. This is 
the branch of righteousness that we see in Jeremiah 23. This is 
the prophet that was kind of like Moses, but not altogether 
like Moses of Deuteronomy 18. Instead of bowing to him, and 
John's already tipped his hand, John 1 in the prologue, he comes 
to his own and what? His own receive him not. Well, 
this is proof positive of that. You are a Samaritan and you have 
a demon. So, of course, Jesus would be 
remiss in not reminding them of the judgment to come. You're 
going to give an account for the words that you have spoken. 
You're going to give an account for having alleged that Jesus 
is a Samaritan and a demon-possessed man. And then notice thirdly, 
he speaks concerning his truth, verse 51. So again, this is the 
confirmation or the corroborating evidence to his denial that I 
do not have a demon. He honors the father, 49b, he 
does not seek his own glory, verse 50, but then notice he 
speaks the words of eternal life in verse 51. Again, demons don't 
do that. It's one consistent thing. I 
don't hang out with demon-possessed men, as far as I know. But I 
think that if I did, they wouldn't want to talk about the Trinity. 
They don't want to talk about the only begottenness of the 
Son. They don't want to talk about the eternal relations of 
origin. They don't really care about the Noahic covenant. They're 
not really into redemption by his precious blood. They don't 
muse as our brother did on the reality that he's both a lamb 
and lion. That doesn't ring in their comprehension. You see, demon-possessed persons 
or men who have affinity with the devil, they speak the words 
of lies and deception. They engage in allegation that 
has no basis. They say things to righteous 
men like, you're a Samaritan and you have a demon. So Jesus 
says, I don't have a demon because I speak the words of eternal 
life. Notice the emphasis in verse 51. Most assuredly, I say 
to you, if anyone keeps my word, he shall never see death. In 
this context, his word is paramount. And his word is identifiable 
with the Father's word. It's not two sets of words, but 
based on the doctrine of divine simplicity, the oneness or singularity 
of God most high, there is one truth. So what Jesus speaks is 
from the Father. What the Father speaks is of 
the Son and the Spirit. Go back to John chapter seven, 
specifically in verse 16, Jesus answered them and said, my doctrine 
is not mine, but his who sent me. See, he's not an original 
thinker. He's not an innovator. He's not 
come to correct Israel's God or Israel's theology. The words 
that he speaks are the words of God Most High. Look at chapter 
8, our particular context. Notice in verse 31, Then Jesus 
said to those Jews who believed him, If you abide in my word, 
you are my disciples indeed. and you shall know the truth, 
and the truth shall make you free." So as I've said, as we 
move through these passages, as we see the enmity and the 
animosity of these unbelieving Jews directed to our Lord Jesus, 
we don't condone it, we don't approve it, but on a certain 
level we kind of understand it, because they're dead in their 
trespasses and sins, they don't have any spiritual discerning 
power, they're standing before the second person of the Trinity, 
clothed in or having assumed our humanity, and he is saying 
to them that it's my words upon which the eternal destiny of 
man rests. Again, not to condone, not to 
approve, but you can see why ungodly, wretched men would get 
a little irritated and get a little stirred up. See, Jesus didn't 
just prance around the streets of Jerusalem saying things that 
were irrelevant. He didn't just come with all 
kinds of, you know, hot air and just, you know, sayings that 
really didn't matter. They were the words of eternal 
life for those whom God had purposed to salvation. and they were the 
words of eternal death that savored unto death for those who would 
resist and reject. So the heavy emphasis on his 
word in this context is once again making his point that he 
does not have a demon. Demons don't speak truth. Demons 
don't love truth. Demons don't like to talk about 
the hypostatic union. Demons don't like to celebrate 
the incarnation of the Lord. Demons don't come to the Lord's 
Supper where they in a special way remember the death and resurrection 
of our blessed Savior. They don't recite the Apostles' 
Creed, the Nicene Creed, the Chalcedonian Creed. They don't 
like our confession of faith. Demon-possessed people hate the 
truth. So what happens if you are dealing 
with somebody you suspect is demon-possessed? Preach the truth 
to them. This is a place where I 100% 
unequivocally agree with John MacArthur. And I'm not saying 
that in any sort of derogatory way. There's a few difference 
I have with him theologically. But responding to these guys 
that have all these tactics for how to deal with demon-possessed 
people, which sounds a lot like secular humanism and psychology 
and things that probably have their place. But when it comes 
to demon-possessed people, you know what MacArthur says? Preach 
the gospel to them. Not cast out the demons, not 
reach down deep into your demon soul and find whatever is aggravating 
you and have some truck wit. No, you preach the gospel to 
them. What's the most blessed and liberating 
thing ever? It's to believe on the Lord Jesus 
Christ and you shall be saved. And then you enter into that 
blessed arena of which John the Apostle speaks, greater is he 
that is in us than he that is in the world. There's no demon-possessed 
man taking up residence in a heart that is filled by the Holy Spirit 
of God Most High. If you meet somebody you think 
or suspect is demon-possessed, preach to them Jesus, crucified 
and resurrected. Preach to them justification 
by faith alone. Preach to them the glorious God 
of heaven and earth, who reaches down in mercy and love to save 
His people from their sins. That's what demon-possessed people 
need to hear. That's what non-demon-possessed 
sinners need to hear. Why wouldn't we think that the 
demon-possessed sinner needs it even more? That is precisely 
what will liberate him from the effects and the ravages of those 
demonic forces. The Geneva Bible gloss says, 
the only doctrine of the gospel apprehended by faith is a sure 
remedy against death. And the death here is not physical. We will physically die. He is 
speaking about eternal or spiritual death. So verse 51, most assuredly 
I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he shall never see death. That's a truism. That's true. 
We may physically die. We'll breathe our last. We'll 
get buried into this earth. But our spirit departs to be 
with the Lord. There is eternal life. There 
is eternal blessing, eternal beatitude, eternal goodness from 
God to his people. So when Jesus promises this eternal 
life, he's able to deliver it. He's able to make good on it. 
And this again is something that a demon-possessed man does not 
have the ability to do. Demon-possessed men lie. Demon-possessed 
men rejoice in murder. Now notice in terms of the arrogance 
of the Jews. You really should appreciate 
what we're dealing with with sinful people, right? It's not 
just a bit of moral persuasion on the part of the evangelist. 
Well, I'm just going to present enough data, and because you're 
not that bad, I suspect that you're going to lay hold of that 
data and believe. Brethren, if we enter into the 
lion's den of evangelism, if we enter in against, not against, 
but for those who are dead in their trespasses and sins, we 
need to understand what's going on. We need to understand what 
their problem is. Because if we don't understand 
what their problem is, it's going to be like David and Saul's armor. 
David says, I can't go out to best this giant in Saul's armor. It's not tried. It's not proven. 
It doesn't fit properly. I want to have my shepherd's 
bag. I want my sling. I want my five 
smooth stones so that I know what I'm capable of. Well, brethren, 
we're dealing with sinful people, dead in their trespasses and 
sins people. Doesn't Paul tell us that, Ephesians 
2? And you, being dead in trespasses and sins. How else do you describe 
what's happening here? If there's not a biblical doctrine, 
a confessional doctrine of total depravity, I'm not sure how we 
make heads or tails out of passages like these. Jesus Christ, who 
is truth himself, Truth incarnate tells these men glorious things. He honors the Father. He doesn't 
seek his own glory. He speaks the words of eternal 
life. And think about that in this 
context. He speaks the words of eternal 
life, and he uses this statement, if anyone keeps my word. Do you see the grace and the 
mercy of the Savior? Of course, he's spoken of God's 
judgment. That's part and parcel of declaring 
the truth, but it's always tempered by his mercy and grace. If anyone 
in the temple, in John 8, that just leveled these accusations 
at him, repent and believe the word that he speaks, they will 
not see eternal death. They will not die. He's holding 
out a promise even in the midst of this challenge concerning 
his identification. So notice what they do in verse 
52. Then the Jews said to him, now we know that you have a demon. We know it. It's proof positive. Brethren, what did he say in 
those brief verses that demonstrated that he had a demon? They don't 
know anything. Doubling down, again, is not 
making your argument. Continually seeking recourse 
in your false statements does not make you truer. It doesn't 
make you more full of the rightness. It doesn't make you on the path 
or put you on the path of righteousness. They rather double down. They 
move from this accusation, do we not say rightly that you are 
a Samaritan and have a demon, to this point now where they're 
incensed. That's tough to, you know, when you read scripture, 
it's hard to get inflection. It's hard to get tone, right? 
The tone police, you see them on the internet, well, your tone 
is bad, we've got to cancel you. Well, it's tough to get tone. 
Are these guys just kind of back and forth discoursing? The fact 
that they're a few verses away from picking up stones to throw 
at this man would seem to indicate that we're at a higher fever 
pitch level here. That when they say this, they're 
not saying it with calculated, careful consideration, but they 
are arrogant. They are foaming at the mouth. 
They are frothing. They are in a frenzy. They want 
to destroy this man. And that is how we ought to understand. Now we know that you have a demon. Abraham is dead and the prophets. And you say, if anyone keeps 
my word, he shall never taste death. You get the argument. This man, Jesus says, if you 
keep my words, you'll never die. What do they do? They look back 
in their history. They say Abraham was the greatest of men. Our 
father Abraham died. The great prophets, Isaiah and 
Jeremiah and Micah and Ezekiel and Daniel, all those men, they 
died. Who do you think you are? You 
think that your words convey the ability to persons to never 
die? You think that you carry that 
kind of authority and you carry that kind of power? Do you really 
think that that is what is true concerning you? Do we not say 
rightly? Do we not now know that you have 
a demon? Notice they pursue this line 
of questioning in verse 53. Are you greater than our father 
Abraham who is dead? Imagine if he would have said, 
yeah. How do you think they would have 
responded to that? I mean he does, essentially. He says, Abraham 
rejoiced to see my day. He saw it and he was glad. So 
he is saying, yes. And this again outrages them. This again causes them to lose 
their minds. So are you greater than our father 
Abraham who is dead? And the prophets are dead? Well, 
of course he is. He's the subject of the prophets. He's the content of the servant 
songs of Yahweh. Isaiah would happily defer to 
Jesus, just like John the Baptist. When the Baptist makes way for 
the Savior, he says, He must increase, but I must decrease. 
All those godly men filled with the Holy Spirit and the old covenant 
would happily defer, would happily point to Christ. He's the subject 
of my writings. Of course he's greater. Of course 
he's better. Of course he's everything. He's 
the darling of heaven. He's the second person of the 
triune God who took on our humanity. For us men, for our salvation, 
he comes down from heaven to live for us, to die for us, to 
rise for us. Of course he's greater. And then 
notice how verse 53 ends, and this is the place we're going 
to stop this morning. It says, who do you make yourself 
out to be? That is always the issue with 
Jesus. When you look at our culture, 
you look at the cultures of the world, what are they ultimately 
at odds with? They just hate us because we 
come to church. Yeah, they do, but there's a 
bigger reason why they hate us because we come to church. It's 
because we come to church, and church is God's house. See, when 
you look around the world today, you can't help but notice similarities 
with Sanctu. Why do the nations rage and the 
people plot vain things? Why do all these people take 
their stand against Yahweh and against His Christ? Well, the 
Bible answers that question. We just don't like the answer. 
Remember John 3, the Lord Jesus says, the darkness hates the 
light. Darkness doesn't want to come 
to the light. Why? Because the darkness is 
quite content hiding and slithering and doing those devilish things 
without detection. See, the light of the gospel, 
the light of God's law, shines on that, and they despise it. They loathe it. You see, in our 
own generation, it's not the case that they all say, oh, yeah, 
Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus is the Word. that was with 
God and the Word who was God. He is the One who was made flesh 
and dwelt among us. They don't see that that way. 
They despise Him. They reject Him. They hold Him 
in contempt. It always hinges on this particular 
question. And it hinges on this particular 
question, not just for them out there, not just the rulers of 
our ages that are challenging Yahweh and His Christ, but it's 
the question for all of us. Who is this man? Now, by grace, 
some of us have come to see that he is who the Bible says he is, 
the altogether lovely, the chief among 10,000. But if you look 
at John's gospel, the way it's set up, the way that he structures 
it, it's all about the identity of our Lord Jesus. The prologue 
is a sort of behind-the-scenes look before we see the economy 
of redemption, sort of summarized there in 129, when John says, 
behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. That's 
what the Savior will do. That's what the second person 
of the Trinity who assumes our humanity will do. But before 
John gets there, he tells us about the second person of the 
Trinity. He tells us in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was 
with God, and the Word was God. He tells us by Him all things 
were made. He tells us that this Word became 
flesh and dwelt among us. He tells us the function, a primary 
function of this Word, this only begotten Son who is in the bosom 
of the Father, declares the Father. And then as Jesus embarks on 
his public ministry, what's one of the first things that happens 
in John chapter 3? Nicodemus comes to him by night. 
And I think people misunderstand that. Oh, Nicodemus is sort of 
breaking away from the official status quo, and he's coming at 
night to sort of see what Jesus is all about. Now, brother, Nicodemus 
ends well, but Nicodemus didn't start well. According to that 
narrative, in John chapter 3, he came from Jerusalem. He was 
sent on a dispatch. He was sent on official business 
on the part of the Sanhedrin to vet Jesus. Who are you? Who do you think you are? We 
know that nobody, unless he comes from God, can do the sorts of 
things that you do. Of course, Jesus hits him with 
the necessity of regeneration, the new birth. You must be born 
again. Well, as we move through the narrative, hasn't this been 
the issue? Look at John 5, after the healing of the man in Bethesda. John 5, verse 16, For this reason 
the Jews persecuted Jesus and sought to kill him, because he 
had done these things on the Sabbath. But Jesus answered them, 
My Father has been working until now, and I have been working. 
Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill him, because 
he not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was his 
father, making himself equal with God. Then Jesus answered 
and said to them, how in fact he is indeed equal with God. That takes up John chapter five. John chapter 6, same thing, he 
teaches those hard truths, those who had professed to be his disciples 
after eating the bread. When he gets into that high doctrine, 
they don't like that anymore, they're no longer going to follow 
him. John 7, Feast of Tabernacles, by what authority do you say 
these things? Who do you think you are? We get into John 8, 
by what authority do you do these things? Who do you think you 
are? We continue on in the gospel narrative. By what authority 
do you do these things, and who do you think you are? That's 
always the question. And the Bible produces the answer. The Bible is very clear. In the 
beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, and the Word was 
God. God Most High, the second person of the Trinity, took on 
our humanity. And he did that, not just to 
be an example to us on how we ought to live in this present 
evil world, but he does it so that he can live in this present 
evil world. so that he can fulfill every 
jot and tittle of God's law, so that he can go to the cross 
and die not as an example, but as a substitutionary atonement, 
as a lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. And then 
he's raised again the third day for our justification. So we 
need to know who this Jesus is. We need to understand what the 
Bible declares concerning this Jesus. And we need to understand 
that coming to him in faith means everlasting life. If you ask 
a Christian, why are you going to go to heaven? And they answer 
something like, because I'm a pretty good guy. Wrong answer. Always the wrong answer. Why 
are you going to heaven? I think the better question is, 
why are you going to heaven? How are you going to heaven? Suggested before we're going 
to enter into heaven, we might see people and we go, You're 
here? I think there's going to be people 
that see us and go, you're here? We're going to extol the grace 
of God most high because we were dead in our trespasses and sins 
and God in his grace opened our eyes and hearts to behold the 
Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. I want to end 
on verse 51. I want to end with just a couple 
of thoughts on verse 51. Notice what Jesus does. John 
8, 51. First of all, he underscores 
the veracity of his statement. Veracity, kids, is a word that 
simply means true. The truthfulness of his statement. So again, in a crucial moment, 
when he's debating with these persons, when he's been accused 
of being a Samaritan and being accused of having a demon, he 
says, most assuredly, I say to you, most assuredly. It's the 
Greek words, amen, amen. It's a doubly emphasized statement. It's one of those ones that, 
not that any of the word of God we don't really pay attention 
to, but we really should pay attention to these amen, amen 
statements by our Lord Jesus, to these most assuredly. Again, 
pay attention to Lamentations 3.22 as well. Pay attention to 
Leviticus 9.20. Absolutely, pay attention, listen 
to the word of the living God. But Jesus underscores the veracity 
of his statement. And again, in the context, you've 
got to appreciate the irony You're of your father the devil. He's 
a murderer from the beginning and he's a liar. They've charged 
him of being demonized or demon possessed, having a demon. What does he say? He says, truly, 
truly, I say to you. And then notice the second observation 
on the passage, the graciousness of the statement. I tipped my 
hand a little bit earlier. I meant to save it for right 
now, but notice the graciousness of the statement. I say to you, 
Now, we take that, and it's for us, right? John 8. It's our word. It's our Bible. Someone once 
said, well, in terms of a hermeneutical approach to scripture, all the 
Bible is written for us, but it's not all written to us. There 
were some case-sensitive things or specific things going on in 
the seven churches of Asia Minor, say, for instance, in Revelation 
2 or 3. But we don't just extrapolate all that and say, oh, yeah, that's 
exactly our condition, our situation. This one was written for us and 
to us, to be sure. But it was said to these guys. Again, brethren, I'd like to 
think better of myself, but somebody's that's accusing me of being a 
Samaritan and having a demon. I'm not sure gospel preaching 
is my primary emphasis. Got a little hair in my eye, 
I think. But the thing is, is that Jesus in the midst of these 
men who are opposed to him, Jesus in the midst of these men who 
are going to pick up stones to throw at him, says, I say to 
you, And then notice the assumption in the statement. The assumption 
in the statement, if anyone keeps my word. He uses the same sort 
of language in verse 31. If you abide in my word, you 
are my disciples indeed, and you shall know the truth, and 
the truth shall make you free. The assumption is simple. We 
come to Jesus in faith for justification, and by God's grace, we continue 
in it. In other words, what's a Christian? A Christian is one 
who is conquered by God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ 
and knows what justification is, forgiven of sin and given 
a righteousness that avails with God. But on the heels of that 
justification comes sanctification, a living the Christian life, 
the in and out, or the day in, day out, the ebb and the flow, 
the hardships and the trials, the difficulties and the afflictions. 
What do we do? Do we say, well, he was good 
enough to save me, but now I need to sort of make it on my own? 
We abide in his word. We keep his word. We love his 
word. We don't abide as we ought. We 
don't keep as we ought. We don't love it as we ought. 
But there is a fundamental change in our hearts. That word we once 
despised, that word we once rejected, is that word now that we hang 
our lives on. And then the blessedness of the 
text. The blessedness of the statement. If anyone keeps my word, he shall 
never see As a preacher of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, 
I cannot stand up here and assure you that you will never die physically. In fact, I can assure you just 
the opposite on the basis of Hebrews 9 and verse 27. It is 
appointed for men to die, and then comes the judgment. But 
I can tell you that if you, by God's grace, believe the gospel 
of Jesus Christ our Lord, you shall never see everlasting death. You shall never taste eternal 
death. You shall pass once your body 
is planted into the ground. Even prior to that, we don't 
have to wait until the body is planted in the ground. What does 
Paul say? To be absent from the body is to be present with the 
Lord. When that separation comes, and 
it's temporary, we call that the intermediate state, we look 
forward to the general resurrection of the dead when God raises all 
men, all women, reattaches body and soul, and it's body and soul 
wherein we go in to the New Jerusalem to worship our blessed God, world 
without end. Amen. So believe on Him, and 
you will never see that eternal death. You will never see that 
eternal judgment. You'll never see that wrath and 
fury of God. The Bible speaks to that. The 
Bible is not silent. The Bible is not some sort of 
a fake, sort of an approach to life and death and those sorts 
of... It is honest, brutally honest. It is so honest that 
persons hate it for that very reason. Oh, that Jesus, oh, those 
disciples, always talking about hell and always talking about 
judgment. That's a mercy. If you're not warned about what 
the condition is, you're not warned about the malady that 
you suffer, you're not warned about the seriousness of your 
challenges or your issues or your sin and transgression, you 
will never see the need for our blessed Savior, the Lord Jesus 
Christ. So let not this day end. in a 
state of having a pathway to eternal death, but rather come 
to the Savior, come to the blessed Lord Jesus, and you will be saved 
and passed from death into life. And John the Apostle, at the 
end of Revelation, he, thinking of that or pondering that, says, 
even so, come Lord Jesus. That's the heartbeat of all of 
God's people, to deliver us from this present evil age and to 
enter into the presence of our great God. In the meantime, we 
gotta fight, we gotta watch, we gotta pray, and we gotta be 
faithful, keeping that word because God has given us the grace to 
do so. Well, let us pray. Our Father 
in heaven, we thank you for your word. We thank you for our Savior's 
clarity in the declaration that he makes, the denial of being 
a demon-possessed man, and the proof that he offers to show 
that it's simply not the case. And we know him from our study 
in John's gospel, that he is the second person of the Trinity. 
He is the one come from heaven to save us from our sins. And 
again, Father, bless the preaching of the word today. May the Holy 
Spirit attend and may you bring forth many dead sinners to life 
and to resurrection joy in our blessed Savior King. Go with 
us now and help us to glorify you in this day. And we pray 
through Jesus Christ, our Lord, amen. Well, let's close by singing 
564 in our hymn books, number 564. ♪ Blessed be Jehovah God of Israel 
♪ ♪ Who only doeth wondrous works ♪ ♪ In glory and excel ♪ ♪ Who 
only doeth wondrous works ♪ is ♪ His glory hail ♪ ♪ Amen, so let 
it be ♪ ♪ The whole earth let its glory hail ♪ ♪ Amen, so let 
it be ♪ ♪ Amen, so let it be ♪ The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ 
and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you 
all, amen. Father, thank you for your graciousness 
to us. Thank you for the church of the 
Lord Jesus Christ and the privilege that is ours to come to the Father 
through the Son in the Spirit. May you bless and strengthen 
us. May you go with us now. May we know your nearness as 
our good. And we pray through Jesus Christ, our Lord, amen. 
Well, please be seated for a brief time of meditation.