In Or Out?

Amen. Well, if you would please take your Bibles and open them up to John chapter 8.

John 8 · chapter mention

And I do ask that you actually have a copy of the Bible open. We're going to be looking there at God's Word.

And I want you to see it with your own eyes as we walk through this passage, John 8, verses 31 through 59 this morning.

John 8:31–59

We've been walking through the Gospel of John together over the past several months,

and we've made our way here this morning to the end of chapter 8.

So chapter 8, verses 31 through 59.

And if you found it there in your Bibles, if you're able, let's stand for the reading of God's Word out of reverence.

And follow along with me as I read John 8, 31 through 59.

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed Him,

If you abide in My Word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

They answered Him,

We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone.

How is it that you say, you will become free?

Jesus answered them,

Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.

The slave does not remain in the house forever.

The son remains forever.

So if the son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

I know that you are offspring of Abraham,

yet you seek to kill Me, because My Word finds no place in you.

I speak of what I have seen with My Father,

and you do what you have heard from your father.

They answered Him,

Abraham is our father.

Jesus said to them,

If you were Abraham's children, you would be doing the works Abraham did.

But now you seek to kill Me,

a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God.

This is not what Abraham did.

You are doing the works your father did.

They said to Him,

We were not born of sexual immorality.

We have one Father, even God.

Jesus said to them,

If God were your father, you would love Me.

For I came from God, and I am here.

I came not of My own accord, but He sent Me.

Why do you not understand what I say?

It is because you cannot bear to hear My Word.

You are of your father, the devil,

and your will is to do your father's desires.

He was a murderer from the beginning,

and does not stand in the truth,

because there is no truth in him.

When he lies, he speaks out of his own character,

for he is a liar and the father of lies.

But because I tell you the truth,

you do not believe Me.

Which one of you convicts Me of sin?

If I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?

Whoever is of God hears the words of God.

The reason why you do not hear them

is that you are not of God.

The Jews answered Him,

Are we not right in saying 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.

Yet I do not seek My own glory.

There is one who seeks it,

and He is the judge.

Truly, truly, I say to you,

if anyone keeps My word,

he will never see death.

The Jews said to Him,

Now we know that you have a demon.

Abraham died,

as did the prophets.

Yet you say,

If anyone keeps My word,

he will never taste death.

Are you greater than our father Abraham,

who died?

And the prophets died.

Who do you make yourself out to be?

Jesus answered,

If I glorify Myself,

My glory is nothing.

It is My Father who glorifies Me,

of whom you say He is our God.

But you have not known Him.

I know Him.

If I were to say that I do not know Him,

I would be a liar like you.

But I do know Him,

and I keep His word.

Your father Abraham rejoiced

that he would see My day.

He saw it and was glad.

So the Jews said to Him,

You are not yet fifty years old,

and have you seen Abraham?

Jesus said to them,

Truly, truly, I say to you,

before Abraham was,

I am.

So they picked up stones

to throw at Him.

But Jesus hid Himself

and went out of the temple.

This is God's holy, inspired word

for you, for your good,

for your instruction this morning.

Please be seated.

Let's pray once more.

Lord,

reveal Your glory

through the preaching of Your word,

we pray.

Would You give us eyes to see

and ears to hear

and hearts to understand

and to love the truth

that You've given us this morning

in this passage.

We pray in Christ's name.

Amen.

Well, there are

approximately

eight billion people

in the world,

give or take

a few thousand,

probably,

eight billion people

of the world.

And out of those

eight billion people,

there are exactly

two types

of people

in the world.

for all of the differences

that exist

in the world,

different cultures,

different countries,

different ethnicities,

different tastes,

different experiences,

different upbringings,

different generations,

different income levels,

different college football teams,

different reactions

to the Georgia-South Carolina game

yesterday.

For all the diversity

that exists

in the world,

there are

exactly

two types

of people.

you are either

in

or you are

out

of Christ.

You are either

in

or you are

out

of Christ.

This is

by far

the most significant

difference

that exists

in the world

and it has

everything to do

with how you

respond

to the words

of Christ.

Sometimes I go

into a crowd

of people

even just driving

up and down

Highway 17

and see

the number

of cars

that are

on the road

and I wonder

how many

of these people

are disciples

of Christ.

Do you ever

do that?

You are in

a crowd

of people

and just

look around

and wonder

how many

of these people

around me

right now

belong

to Jesus?

See,

the eyes

of God,

that distinction

of who is in

and who is out

is crystal clear

but to us

with our

limited perception,

our limited

understanding,

our limited

knowledge,

that distinction

is not

always so

clear,

is it?

And so we

have to ask

if we don't

have the eyes

to see the

invisible roots

of faith,

what do we

have?

Well,

we have the

visible fruit

of how someone

responds to

the word

of Christ.

What we see

in our passage

this morning,

John chapter 8,

John 8 · chapter mention

is Jesus

laying out

for us,

describing

for us

the difference

between those

who are

his disciples

and those

who are

not

his disciples.

He's laying

out for us

those who

are in

Christ

and those

who are

out

of Christ.

And again,

the dividing

line between

the two

is his word

and how we

respond to it.

So how does

Jesus describe

his disciples

first?

How does

Jesus describe

his disciples?

Well,

we saw last

week as

Jesus preached

at the end

of his message,

John chapter 8

John 8:30

verse 30,

John told us

that some

of the Jews,

in fact,

many of the

Jews,

believed

his words.

You remember

that from last

week.

He said,

I'm the light

of the world.

Whoever follows

me will not

walk in darkness

but will have

the light of life.

Many rejected,

yet many believed.

And so here

in verse 32

and 31

and 32,

Jesus turns

his attention

to those Jews

who have

professed belief

and look what

he says to them

in verse 31.

He says,

if you abide

in my word,

you are truly

my disciples

and you will

know the truth

and the truth

will set

you free.

It's a condition

here.

He gives them

a condition,

if you abide

in my word,

not just

profess belief

in my word,

but if you

abide in my word,

you are truly

my disciples.

A true disciple

of Christ,

according to Jesus

here in this passage,

is characterized

by abiding

in the words

of Jesus.

How can we

look around

and tell

by our best judgment

who disciples

of Christ are?

Well,

disciples abide.

How can we

tell if we

are a disciple

of Christ?

Well,

we abide

in the words

of Jesus.

Apparently,

to Jesus,

abiding

in his words

is a greater

indicator

of belonging

to Christ

than our

initial

professing

faith

in Christ.

So what

does it mean

to abide?

Well,

that word abide,

we see it all

through the

gospel of John.

It simply

means stay

there.

Don't leave.

Take root

there for the

rest of your

life.

It's an important

concept in the

gospel of John.

He's the only

gospel writer

that uses that

word abide,

and we see it

time and time

and time again.

We saw it in

chapter 5,

where he said,

you do not

have his word

abiding in you,

for you do not

believe the one

whom he has sent.

Chapter 6,

whoever feeds

on my flesh

and drinks my blood,

Jesus says,

abides in me

and I in him.

Lord willing,

by the time we get

to chapter 15,

the whole chapter

is about abiding

in Christ 11 times.

That word comes up

in chapter 15,

that glorious chapter

about abiding in Christ.

It is clear that

in the mind of John

and in the mind

of Jesus,

a disciple of Christ

is not just someone

who has heard

and responded

to his word once,

but someone

who right now,

presently,

is abiding

in the word

of Christ.

In other words,

here is what I think

Jesus is saying

here for us.

What makes

a Christian

is not just

their one time

initial profession

of faith in Christ,

but that one time

initial professing

and their ongoing

abiding

in the word

of Christ.

Let me say that again.

What makes

a disciple

of Christ,

what makes a Christian

is not just

that one time

initial profession,

but that profession

paired

with ongoing

abiding

in the words

of Christ.

The genuineness

of a disciple's

professing

is demonstrated,

is lived out,

is seen

in their ongoing

abiding.

There's been

a shift

in thinking

in cultural

American Christianity

over the past

200 years or so

where the emphasis

has shifted

to where

churches

and pastors,

we tend to

place more emphasis

on our professing

faith in the word

of Christ

than we do

in our abiding

in the word

of Christ.

And I just want

to offer

a humble

and gentle

course correction

here.

Jesus is speaking

to those

who have professed

belief in his words.

And we see this

here.

He's speaking

to those

who have professed

belief and he says

that is wonderful.

You know how

I know how

you're truly

a disciple of Christ?

You stay there.

You abide

in my word.

The sad truth

is that there

are many

who at some

point in their

life profess

faith in Christ.

They will say

a prayer,

walk an aisle,

raise a hand,

do something

to profess belief

in the word

of Christ,

but over the

course of time

fall away.

And I'd be willing

to bet that

most of us

in the room

could right away

if we asked you

to think of somebody,

to name somebody

who fit that description,

all of us

in the room

could think

of someone

who fits

that description.

And oftentimes

it's painful

for us to think

about that

because these

are people

who we love

and these

are people

who we grew

up with,

these are people

who are members

of our own

family,

people who are

close to us.

It may be

and our prayer

would be that

these individuals

are genuinely

regenerate,

that they are

genuinely born again,

that they genuinely

belong to God

and have temporarily

fallen into sin.

And if that's the case,

then we can know

with confidence

the Lord will bring

them back.

But our posture

towards them

shouldn't be one

of assurance

based on some

past profession.

Our posture

towards them

ought to be one

of urging them

to repent

and believe

the gospel.

It may be

that they genuinely

belong

or it may be

that whatever

happened years

and years ago

was a false

profession

of faith.

We need to have

this category

in our mind

of false

profession

of faith.

I think of

Jesus' words

in Matthew

Matthew 13 · chapter mention

chapter 13

in the parable

of the sower.

Such a helpful

illustration

for us.

The sower

goes out

and he spreads

seeds

which represent

the word of God.

He spreads it

on different

types of soil.

Some seed

falls along

the path.

The birds

come and

they devour

the seeds.

Other seeds

fell among

thorns.

The thorns

grow up.

They choke

out the seeds.

They prove

unfruitful.

Other seed

falls on rocky

ground.

They didn't

have much

depth of soil.

Immediately

they sprang

up and it

looked like

they were

going to grow.

It looked

like they were

going to have

life.

It gave

brief appearance

of life

but they had

no root.

So when the

sun came

out it

scorched

the growth

and it

withered

away.

But still

others fell

on fertile

soil and

they took

root and

they bore

much fruit.

What does

this tell

us?

It tells

us that

professing

faith in

Christ could

be the

beginning of

a lifelong

fruit bearing

relationship

with Christ

or it

could be a

tragically

short lived

response.

It gives

the appearance

of fruit.

It gives

the appearance

of life but

it has no

root and so

over time it

withers away.

Church we

long to see

professions of

faith in

Christ.

Amen?

We long to

see non-believers

profess faith

in Christ.

but we

long to see

that profession

be genuine.

Amen?

And here

Jesus tells

us the way

we know

whether or

not that

professing of

faith is

genuine is

whether or

not it is

joined together

with ongoing

lifelong

abiding in

the word of

Christ.

Genuine

professing is

demonstrated by

present

abiding.

We have to

ask ourselves

don't we?

Are we

abiding in

the words of

Christ?

Are we

abiding in

the words of

Christ?

And what does

that even look

like for us to

abide in his

word?

Well Jesus

throughout the

rest of this

passage he gives

us a pretty

good picture of

what abiding

looks like.

Look here to

verse 42.

He says if

God were your

father you

would love

me.

Verse 42

abiding looks

like love.

Verse 47

whoever is of

God hears the

words of God.

It looks like

hearing.

Looks like

receiving.

Looks like

listening to

the words of

God.

Not just

once but for

the rest of

your life.

Verse 51

if anyone

keeps my

word he will

never see

death.

It looks like

keeping the

word of God.

Obeying the

word of God.

Following the

word of God.

You put this

together I

think we have

a pretty good

picture of a

disciple of

Jesus.

A true

disciple of

Jesus hears

the word,

believes the

word, loves

the Christ of

the word and

because he

loves the

Christ of

the word he

abides in

that word and

he keeps that

word.

Does this

describe you?

Does this

sound like

you?

Of course

none of us

abide in the

word of

Christ

perfectly.

Right?

Am I the

only one that

fails to

abide in the

word of

Christ

perfectly?

No, I

hope not.

Which simply

means that

there's room

for all of

us to

grow here.

How can

you grow to

abide in the

word of

Christ?

What area of

your life

specifically

has yet to

submit to

the word of

Christ?

And you

know, wouldn't

it be great

if there was

some sort of

community, some

sort of

gathering maybe,

some sort of

group of

people, maybe a

family of

people.

I'm just

thinking off the

top of my

head right now.

Some gathering

of people who

could help us

abide in the

word of Christ.

Wouldn't that

be great?

look around at

your brothers and

sisters to your

left, to your

right, behind

you, in front

of you.

The church is a

family of

disciples of

Christ.

The church is a

family of

disciples who

are gathered

together to

lock arms

together to

help one

another abide

in Christ.

You know, it

may be that we

need to kind of

rethink our

definition of

church a little

bit, how we

thought about

church in the

past.

It's not just a

gathering of

loosely identified

individuals who

happen to be in

the same place at

the same time,

hearing the same

guy speak the

same message, and

then we go off

on our own.

The church is a

family of

disciples.

We lock arms to

help one another

abide.

And we need

one another.

So we commit to

one another to

say, I will

gather with my

brothers and

sisters for

worship.

I will encourage

my brothers and

sisters.

I will pray for

my brothers and

sisters.

I will meaningfully

engage in my

brothers and

sisters' life.

I will send

notes of prayer

and encouragement

to them.

I will help

them obey.

I will call

them out if

they are falling

short, and I

invite them to do

the same for me.

We'll gather to

sing songs of

worship that are

preaching truth,

not just that

make us feel a

certain way, but

that equip us to

abide in the

word.

We'll gather and

we'll sit under the

preaching of the

word every week.

We'll make a

priority of prayer

gatherings.

We'll make a

priority of Bible

study.

We'll make a

priority of

gathering for

Sunday school so

that we can

abide in the

word together.

That's what church

is meant to be.

Are you abiding in

his word?

A true disciple of

Jesus is one who

abides.

Well, how does he

describe those who

are out of Christ?

We have the whole

rest of the chapter

here to deal with.

How does he

describe those who

are out of Christ?

And he does so in

three ways here,

three descriptions of

those who are outside

of Christ, and it is

not pretty.

He says first,

those who are not

in Christ are

slaves of sin.

They're slaves of

sin.

The Jews, they did

not like what Jesus

had just said in

verse 32.

He said, the truth

will set you free.

And that set them

off.

They said, well, we

are offspring of

Abraham, and we've

never been enslaved

to anyone.

How can you say

that you will

become free?

See, they didn't

understand that the

slavery he was

talking about was

not physical slavery.

He was talking

about spiritual

slavery to sin.

Now, despite what

you may have been

told, sin, living

life outside of

Christ, outside of

God, is not

freedom.

The way that the

world would talk

about Christianity,

the way the world

would talk about

the Bible, is, well,

that's so restrictive.

I just want to live

life on my terms,

make my own choices,

live how I want to

live.

Maybe I'll come to

church when I want

to, read the Bible

when I want to, but

ultimately, I call the

shots here.

That's true freedom.

Well, Jesus says, no.

No.

You are enslaved to

sin.

Romans 6.

Paul tells us, no one

is truly independent.

All of us, we're

either slaves of sin

or slaves of

righteousness.

There's two types of

people in the world.

They didn't understand

this, so Jesus told

them in verse 34,

truly, truly, I say

to you, everyone who

practices sin is a

slave to sin.

The slave does not

remain in the house

forever.

The son remains

forever.

So, if the son sets

you free, you will be

free indeed.

Everyone who is

outside of Christ,

Jesus says, is

enslaved to the

powers of sin.

He says, everyone who

practices sin is a

slave to sin.

Now, we had better

understand what that

means.

All right?

Because we all just

admitted that all of

us struggle to abide in

the words of Christ.

All of us just

admitted that we fall

short, that we are

sinners.

I'm here to confess to

you, your pastor

struggles with sin.

Your pastor is a

sinner.

All right?

We'd better understand

what it means to be

enslaved, to practice

sin.

We don't believe in a

perfectionist theology,

that when you come to

Christ, you are free

from the presence of

sin in your life.

We do not hold to a

perfectionist theology

that says that all of

us here, we are in

Christ.

That means we don't

sin.

I remember in college

every now and then, a

street preacher, when

the weather started

getting nice, a street

preacher would come.

He'd set up shop on the

front lawn, and as

students were walking

to and from class, he

would shout into a

megaphone to everybody

who walked by.

And I remember, he

would quote scripture

out of 1 John.

He would quote 1 John

5, 18.

It says, we know that

everyone who has been

born of God does not

keep on sinning.

And he would quote 1

John 3, 8, and 9.

Whoever makes a

practice of sinning, same

language there, whoever

makes a practice of

sinning is of the devil.

For the devil has been

sinning from the

beginning.

The reason the Son of

God appeared was to

destroy the works of

the devil.

No one born of God

makes a practice of

sinning, for God's

seed abides in him, and

he cannot keep on

sinning because he has

been born of God.

He would take these

verses and shout them

into the megaphone to

say that true Christians

don't sin.

He would say, I don't

sin.

True Christians don't

sin.

And all you heathen

college students on your

way to class are sinners

and you need to be born

again.

I struggled with that.

I had to wrap my mind

around that because I

was a believer.

I had been born again,

but I still struggled

with sin.

I wasn't equipped enough

to debate him at that

point, so I just ignored

him on the way to class.

But if I could go back,

I would have told him,

just would you flip like

two pages over in your

Bible?

First John chapter 1,

1 John 1 · chapter mention

do you know what it

says?

John says, if we say we

have no sin, we deceive

ourselves and the truth is

not in us.

If we confess our sins, he

is faithful and just to

forgive us our sins and to

cleanse us from all

unrighteousness.

If we say we have not

sinned, we make him a liar

and his word is not in

us.

My little children, I am

writing these things to

you so that you may not

sin.

But if anyone does sin, if

anyone does sin, we have

an advocate with the

Father, Jesus Christ, the

righteous.

The point is this, the

difference between believers

and non-believers.

the difference between

those who are in Christ

and those who are out is

not that they sin and we

don't.

It's that by the grace of

God through faith in Jesus

Christ, we have been set

free from the enslaving

power of sin in our lives.

The Son has set us free and

we are free indeed, which

means the rest of our life on

this side of glory is going

to be marked by war against

the presence of sin in our

lives.

It's not freedom from the

presence of sin in our

lives.

It's not freedom from the

pain of sin in our lives.

It's freedom from the

power, enslaving power of

sin in our lives, which

means we now go to war

against it with the

confidence that we have

been set free by the power

of Jesus Christ in us.

It is so easy for us to be

discouraged, isn't it, by the

presence of sin in us

lingering, coming out of us

day in, day out, week in,

week out.

We wrestle against these sins

that we just wish would go

away.

We thought for sure by now

they would be done and gone

with.

We might have grown up a

little bit more and we're

not dealing with this old

stuff anymore.

But we want to get rid of it

completely.

We don't know why it's

still there.

Can I just suggest to you,

believer, that the very fact

that you see it, you hate it,

and you're fighting against it

is evidence of the grace of

God in you.

The very fact that you are

waging war against it, that

you're in the fight, that you're

in the battle, means that you

have spiritual life in you to

see sin for what it is and to

work by the grace of God to put

it to death.

No one has been more helpful to

me in understanding this than

John Owen.

Listen to this quote.

He says,

To kill sin is the work of living

men.

Where men are dead, as all

believers, the best of them are

dead, sin is alive and sin will

live.

In other words, if you are

battling sin this morning, don't

be discouraged.

Keep battling.

Follow the words of 1 John and

confess your sin, knowing that God

is faithful and just to forgive

you of your sin, knowing that you

have an advocate before the

Father, Jesus Christ the

righteous.

Don't be discouraged, but continue

pressing on in the fight against

sin.

Christ says,

Everyone who practices sin is a

slave to sin, but the good news of

the gospel is that the Son can set

you free.

The Son can set you free.

Not only this, Jesus says those who

are outside of Christ, they're

slaves to sin, and they are sons

and daughters of Satan.

I told you this wasn't pretty, right?

They are sons and daughters of

Satan.

Jesus says in verse 37,

I know that you are offspring of

Abraham, yet you seek to kill me

because my word finds no place in

you.

I speak of what I've seen with my

father.

You do what you have heard from

your father.

So they answered him.

Verse 39, they said, well, Abraham

is our father.

In other words, we're Jewish.

What are you talking about?

We belong to God.

We're children of Abraham.

They're putting all of their stock in

their physical lineage, in their

physical heritage, that they belong

to God because they're a part of

the physical line of Abraham.

But Jesus says, not so fast.

If you were Abraham's children, you

would be doing the works that Abraham

did.

But now you seek to kill me, a man who

told you the truth that I heard from

God.

That's not what Abraham did.

You're doing the works that your

father did.

They said, oh, we only have one

father.

We're not born of sexual immorality.

We have one father, even God.

God is our father.

And here's where Jesus draws the line.

Because that claim, it was not backed

up.

So Jesus said to them, if God were your

father, you would love me.

For I came from God and I am here.

I came not of my own accord, but he sent

me.

Why do you not understand what I say?

It's because you can't bear to hear my

word.

You are of your father, the devil, and

your will is to do your father's desires.

He was a murderer from the beginning and

does not stand in the truth because

there's no truth in him.

When he lies, he speaks out of his own

character, for he is a liar and the

father of lies.

But because I tell you the truth, you do

not believe me.

Which one of you convicts me of sin?

If I tell you the truth, why do you not

believe me?

Whoever is of God hears the words of God.

The reason why you do not hear them is

that you are not of God.

They claimed to be of God.

They claimed to belong to Abraham.

Abraham.

You all know the children's song.

Father Abraham.

Many sons.

Many sons had father Abraham.

I am one of them and so are you.

So let's just praise the Lord.

Right arm.

Left arm.

I don't think the Jews knew that song.

But they believed what the song says.

I am a child of Abraham.

So are you.

We are children of God.

We are children of Abraham.

Everything is just great.

Let's just praise the Lord and get on with it.

But Jesus says not so fast.

You are not children of Abraham.

And you are not children of God.

How do I know?

Your works show that you don't belong to God.

You are doing the works of Satan.

Your heart shows that you don't belong to God.

You are rejecting the Messiah.

And your ears show that you don't belong to God

because you can't bear to hear the word of God.

You know, in our day, I have never heard anyone say,

but I'm a child of Abraham.

But I belong to Abraham.

But you know what I have heard?

Well, I've been going to this church for 30 years.

My dad was a deacon.

But my granddad was a deacon.

I grew up in the church.

I have this religious heritage.

Are you telling me I don't belong to the Lord?

Those things are wonderful, wonderful graces, wonderful gifts.

But that does not make you a disciple of Christ.

Jesus tells us here that a true disciple of Jesus,

a true disciple, a true son of Abraham,

is not a matter of physical lineage,

not a matter of physical birth,

not a matter of spiritual heritage,

but spiritual rebirth by the power of the Holy Spirit in you.

And to belong to God, to be a child of God,

means the Holy Spirit has opened up your ears to hear his word.

And as you hear the word,

you trust and accept Jesus as the Messiah.

Your heart is changed so that you love him.

And as you grow to love him with all your heart,

then you go and you do his works.

These are the fruits of someone who has God as their father.

But all of it,

all of it,

hangs on how you receive the word of God.

It's our last description here.

Those outside of Christ are scoffers and skeptics of the word of Christ.

Jesus told them,

you don't hear my words because you don't belong to God.

How did they respond?

You have a demon.

You are a Samaritan.

Look how Jesus responds to that in verse 49.

He says,

I do not have a demon,

but I honor my father and you dishonor me.

You know,

I do not seek my own glory.

There is one who seeks it and he is the judge.

Truly,

truly,

I say to you,

if anyone keeps my word,

he will never see death.

Did you hear that?

Did you hear that?

If anyone keeps my word,

he will never see death.

What a claim.

What a claim that he just made.

This is the same claim that he's been making all through the gospel of John.

This is the same offer that Christ has made again and again and again and again.

This is the offer of the gospel and he could not be any clearer.

We saw it in chapter 3.

As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,

so must the Son of Man be lifted up that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son that whoever believes in him should not perish,

but have eternal life.

Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty.

That water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.

Truly, truly, truly, I say to you,

whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life.

Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness,

but will have the light of life.

This is the will of my Father,

that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life.

I am the living bread that came down from heaven.

If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.

The bread that I'll give the world is my flesh.

I am the light of the world.

Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness,

but will have the light of life.

Just over and over and over and over again,

Jesus has offered eternal life to sinners like us.

If we would only repent and believe his words.

Now, the good news of the gospel is that sinners don't have to stay on the outside of Christ.

Amen?

We don't have to remain as slaves of sin.

The good news of the gospel is that we don't have to remain as sons and daughters of Satan.

We don't have to continue to scoff at Christ and his word.

Lord, Jesus Christ offers eternal life through faith in his life-giving word.

If only we would listen and believe.

He says, my sheep hear my voice.

But those who don't belong to him scoff at the offer.

Look how they responded in verse 52.

The Jews said to him, well, now we know that you have a demon.

Abraham died, as did the prophets.

Yet you say, if anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.

Are you greater than our father Abraham who died?

They had no idea, did they?

And the prophets died.

Who do you make yourself out to be?

Jesus said, if I glorify myself, my glory is nothing.

It's my father who glorifies me, of whom you say he's our God.

But you have not known him.

I know him.

If I were to say I do not know him, I would be a liar like you.

But I do know him, and I keep his word.

Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day.

He saw it and was glad.

So the Jews said to him, you're not even 50 years old.

Have you seen Abraham?

And Jesus said to them, truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.

And finally, after all this time, what he's been saying all along, they got it.

This is the clearest I am statement in the Gospel of John.

We've seen it throughout.

These I am statements where Jesus claims his identity to be equal.

He is God in the flesh.

Not just a teacher.

Not just a prophet.

He is I am here to give life to the world.

The Jews knew exactly what he was saying.

And how did they respond?

They picked up stones to throw at him and to kill him.

But Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.

You know, this is an ugly picture of those outside of Christ, isn't it?

Slaves to sin.

Sons and daughters of Satan.

Skeptics and scoffers and murderers of the Son of God.

Why?

Why do we need to hear this this morning?

For one, church, we need to remember who we were before the grace of God saved us.

We need to remember the ugly picture of what we were.

Do you remember what it was like to be a slave to sin?

Do you remember what it was like to be sons and daughters of the enemy?

To scoff and to laugh, to ridicule the Son of God?

Do you remember what you have been saved from?

The result of remembering the darkness of our life before Christ ought to be gratitude and thanksgiving and praise and glory to God who saved you by his grace through his life-giving word.

Not only that, church.

We need to understand this picture of those who are outside of Christ so that we might be motivated and moved to share this word with those who remain in darkness.

Who do you know right now who remains outside of Christ?

This is a description of them.

This is a description of them.

Who do you know that needs to hear this offer of Christ?

If you would come to me, listen to me, hear my word, abide in me, and you will live, be forgiven, and have eternal life.

The response for all of us this morning, whether for the first time or for the millionth time, abide in the life-giving words of Christ.

Turn from your sin and believe in the message of the gospel.

Turn from your sin and believe that Christ is God in the flesh, crucified and risen for your sin and for your justification.

Repent and believe the gospel again and again and again and again and again, clinging to his word until he comes.

Let's pray.

Lord Jesus, we believe that you are God.

That you have come to save sinners like us.

We thank you, Lord, for your grace that you've poured on us who don't deserve it, who are your enemies, who belonged to the devil, Lord.

But yet you saved us by your grace.

We pray that we would respond to that fact with praise and gratitude.

Help us never to grow tired of that truth.

Lord, remind us again and again and again of the saving power of the gospel.

that you might be glorified and that we might share that message with those who need to hear it.

We love you.

We pray this in Jesus' name.

Amen.