John 8:21–30 - Cameron Jungels - Sunday AM May 25, 2014

“A Matter of Life and Death” (John 8:21–30)

^{Pastor Cameron/Eastside Baptist/Sunday AM/May 25, 2014}

¹² When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

¹³ The Pharisees challenged him, “Here you are, appearing as your own witness; your testimony is not valid.”

¹⁴ Jesus answered, “Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going. ¹⁵ You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. ¹⁶ But if I do judge, my decisions are true, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me. ¹⁷ In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is true. ¹⁸ I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me.”

¹⁹ Then they asked him, “Where is your father?”

“You do not know me or my Father,” Jesus replied. “If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” ²⁰ He spoke these words while teaching in the temple courts near the place where the offerings were put. Yet no one seized him, because his hour had not yet come.

²¹ Once more Jesus said to them, “I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come.”

²² This made the Jews ask, “Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, ‘Where I go, you cannot come’?”

²³ But he continued, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. ²⁴ I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins.”

²⁵ “Who are you?” they asked.

“Just what I have been telling you from the beginning,” Jesus replied. ²⁶ “I have much to say in judgment of you. But he who sent me is trustworthy, and what I have heard from him I tell the world.”

²⁷ They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father. ²⁸ So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. ²⁹ The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.” ³⁰ Even as he spoke, many believed in him.(John 8:12–30, niv)

 

1.       If you do not believe in Jesus, you cannot go to be with God (v. 21).

 

2.      If you do not believe in Jesus, you will die unforgiven and be punished forever for your sins (vv. 23–24).

 

3.      If you do not believe in Jesus, you are unaware of your blindness and oblivious to your own eternal condemnation (vv. 22, 23, 25, 27).

 

4.      The crucifixion, resurrection, and exaltation of Jesus will declare his true identity as the Messiah and divine Son of God, confirming the condemnation of those who do not believe him (vv. 28–29).

 

5.      If you believe in Jesus, you accept the truth of his words and find life and true freedom (v. 30 [with vv. 31–32]).

 

Main Idea: Recognizing the true identity of Jesus of Nazareth is a matter of life and death. If you believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God you find eternal life, but if you reject him, you will receive eternal death.