John 8 | The Upward Way | Bible Study with A. Z. Adams — Transcript

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1. 0:00So in the previous chapter it says
2. 0:02everyone went to his own home after the
3. 0:04dispute and then John 8:1 begins but
4. 0:09Jesus went to the mount of olives.
5. 0:12Early in the morning he came again into
6. 0:15the temple and all the people were
7. 0:18coming to him and he sat down and began
8. 0:21to teach them.
9. 0:23The scribes and the Pharisees brought a
10. 0:26woman caught in adultery
11. 0:29and having set her in the center of the
12. 0:31court.
13. 0:32They said to him, "Teacher,
14. 0:36this woman has been caught in adultery
15. 0:38in the very act.
16. 0:41Now in the law, Moses commanded us to
17. 0:45stone such a woman. What then do you
18. 0:48say?"
19. 0:51They were saying this, testing him so
20. 0:55that they might have grounds for
21. 0:57accusing him.
22. 0:59But Jesus stooped down and with his
23. 1:02finger wrote on the ground.
24. 1:06We have to ask a question.
25. 1:09Why did they think this was a trap?
26. 1:13What did they know about the character
27. 1:15of Jesus
28. 1:17that made them think that this was how
29. 1:20they were going to accuse him unto
30. 1:22death?
31. 1:24They were convinced he was going to show
32. 1:28this woman mercy.
33. 1:30His
34. 1:32character had so abundantly proven
35. 1:36that he was merciful
36. 1:38and kind and loving and forgiving that
37. 1:42they were sure he was not going to
38. 1:45follow the rules.
39. 1:50And Jesus stoops down and starts drawing
40. 1:54with his finger in the dirt.
41. 1:58It's a tense moment.
42. 2:01This this woman is
43. 2:05probably kneeling,
44. 2:07maybe sprawled on the ground, but she's
45. 2:10in the center of the court.
46. 2:14And this is a judgment arena
47. 2:17and
48. 2:19chief priests and rulers and all of
49. 2:22these knowit all Sanhedrin members.
50. 2:25And Jesus doesn't even look at them. He
51. 2:28doesn't answer. He just starts drawing
52. 2:31in the dirt. What is he drawing?
53. 2:36The Bible doesn't tell us. Is he Is he
54. 2:40writing
55. 2:42their sins
56. 2:44or is he just misdirecting the intensity
57. 2:48of their hatred?
58. 2:51It's powerful, but we don't fully
59. 2:53understand the meaning of it.
60. 2:57But when they persisted in asking him,
61. 2:59he straightened up and said to them,
62. 3:03"He who is without sin among you, let
63. 3:07him be the first to throw a stone at
64. 3:08her."
65. 3:13He does not tell him, "Do not bring the
66. 3:18judgment because the law is just."
67. 3:23He instead wants to show them that they
68. 3:26are not qualified to administer it
69. 3:30and the one who is qualified refuses to.
70. 3:35Instead, he's going to take it on
71. 3:37himself.
72. 3:39So he says, "He who is without sin among
73. 3:43you, let him be the first to throw a
74. 3:45stone at her."
75. 3:47Again, he stooped down and wrote on the
76. 3:51ground.
77. 3:53It's not a common sight when God is
78. 3:57dealing with the dirt.
79. 3:59He made man from dirt, right? He formed
80. 4:03us from dust. So what is he doing? Is he
81. 4:07writing the glory of God that we have
82. 4:09fallen from?
83. 4:11Shaped and formed in his image.
84. 4:14Is he Is he writing down sins, pride,
85. 4:18envy, jealousy, dishonesty?
86. 4:23Is he scribing into the dirt all the
87. 4:27things that all the ways that they break
88. 4:29the law of Moses?
89. 4:32And he again stooped down and wrote on
90. 4:34the ground. When they heard it, they
91. 4:37began to go one by one, beginning with
92. 4:42the older ones.
93. 4:44And he was left alone and the woman
94. 4:47where she was in the center of the
95. 4:50court. She hasn't moved.
96. 4:53But now she's sitting there in a ring of
97. 4:56dropped stones perhaps.
98. 4:59And he straightens up again.
99. 5:03There's something powerful that John is
100. 5:05teaching us that Jesus is lowering
101. 5:08himself.
102. 5:10He's in this humbled posture.
103. 5:14He's not coming and looking down on.
104. 5:17He's in this humbled lowered posture.
105. 5:21And he keeps straightening up. It's it's
106. 5:24noticeable.
107. 5:26Straightening up. Jesus said to her,
108. 5:29"Woman,
109. 5:31where are they?
110. 5:33Did no one condemn you?"
111. 5:37She said, "No one, Lord."
112. 5:41And Jesus said,
113. 5:44"I do not condemn you either."
114. 5:48He is the only person in the arena who
115. 5:53is without sin.
116. 5:56But he's the only one unwilling to throw
117. 5:58a stone.
118. 6:01And here is the whole story of the law
119. 6:05that the only one righteous enough to
120. 6:10administer it is unwilling to do so
121. 6:15except upon himself.
122. 6:20I do not condemn you either. Go
123. 6:24from now on. Sin no more.
124. 6:28Then Jesus again spoke to them saying,
125. 6:32I am the light of the world.
126. 6:36He who follows me will not walk in the
127. 6:39darkness but will have the light of
128. 6:42life.
129. 6:45This is not an accident.
130. 6:48He's saying
131. 6:50you're living in the darkness of your
132. 6:52own self-righteousness.
133. 6:55And it's a darkness that brings death.
134. 6:58It would have just brought death to that
135. 7:00woman. But there is a light that can set
136. 7:03you free from your sin, but also from
137. 7:06your deadly, self-righteous justice.
138. 7:11So the Pharisees said to him, "You are
139. 7:14testifying about yourself. Your
140. 7:16testimony is not true.
141. 7:19Jesus answered and said to them, "Even
142. 7:22if I testify about myself, my testimony
143. 7:24is true, for I know where I came from
144. 7:27and where I am going. But you do not
145. 7:30know where I came from or where I am
146. 7:33going." He keeps saying this over and
147. 7:35over and over. And it's simply saying,
148. 7:38you don't know the origins of the
149. 7:41authority and the voice that is speaking
150. 7:43through me. It doesn't come from my
151. 7:46head. It doesn't come from my past. It
152. 7:49doesn't come from my flesh. It doesn't
153. 7:51come from my ambitions. It comes from
154. 7:54God.
155. 7:55Jesus goes on, "You judge according to
156. 7:59the flesh.
157. 8:01I am not judging anyone.
158. 8:07But even if I do judge, my judgment is
159. 8:10true, for I am not alone in it. But I
160. 8:13and the father who sent me. Why is his
161. 8:17judgment true? Because I am not alone in
162. 8:22it. There is a duality to Christ's
163. 8:25nature. He is fully man and he is fully
164. 8:29God.
165. 8:30But he does not act in judgment or in
166. 8:33any way like this in solely on the basis
167. 8:37of his human instincts.
168. 8:40He is not alone in it.
169. 8:43For I am not alone in it, but I am the
170. 8:45Father who sent me. Even in your law, it
171. 8:48has been written that the testimony of
172. 8:50two men is true.
173. 8:53I am he who testifies about myself, and
174. 8:57the Father who sent me testifies about
175. 8:59me. So they were saying to him, "Where
176. 9:02is your father?"
177. 9:04Jesus answered, "You know neither me nor
178. 9:08my father. If you knew me, you would
179. 9:11know my father also.
180. 9:14Because the son of God is that which is
181. 9:18visible of the father, and the father is
182. 9:22that which is invisible of the son.
183. 9:26He's saying, if you knew the voice of
184. 9:28God, you'd love and recognize and accept
185. 9:31me. And if you accepted me, you would
186. 9:34know my father because the father is in
187. 9:37him.
188. 9:40These words he spoke in the treasury as
189. 9:44he taught in the temple and no one
190. 9:47seized him because his hour had not yet
191. 9:49come. John keeps saying this all through
192. 9:52the previous chapter and all through
193. 9:54this chapter. It's astonishing to John
194. 9:56that they weren't grabbing him yet. It's
195. 9:59like a miracle. They were that full of
196. 10:02hatred, that certain in their judgments.
197. 10:07Then he said again to them,"I go away
198. 10:10and you will seek me and will die in
199. 10:13your sins. Where I am going, you cannot
200. 10:16come." So wherever he's going is an
201. 10:19escape from their sins. Right? He keeps
202. 10:22saying this. He said this in the last
203. 10:24chapter before he said, "If any man
204. 10:26thirst, let him come to me." He's saying
205. 10:27it again. I go away and you will seek me
206. 10:32and you will die in your sins. where I
207. 10:34am going you cannot come. He wants them
208. 10:37to change and say where you are going we
209. 10:41must come we want to come
210. 10:45and that would be into a complete
211. 10:48surrender
212. 10:49to God through his spirit. So the Jews
213. 10:52were saying surely he will not kill
214. 10:55himself will he since he says where I am
215. 10:58going you cannot come.
216. 11:01They don't get it do they?
217. 11:04And he was saying to them, you are from
218. 11:07below.
219. 11:08I am from above. You are of this world.
220. 11:13I am not of this world. Therefore, I
221. 11:16said to you that you will die in your
222. 11:18sins. For unless you believe that I am
223. 11:22he, you will die in your sins.
224. 11:26Now, I read that as the New American
225. 11:29Standard translates it, but they've put
226. 11:32a word in here, and most translations do
227. 11:35that does not belong, and it does not
228. 11:37show up in the Greek. He says to them,
229. 11:41"Therefore, I said to you that you will
230. 11:43die in your sins, for unless you believe
231. 11:45that I am, you will die in your sins."
232. 11:52He is using
233. 11:54that name, that utterance I am, which
234. 12:00God called himself in his
235. 12:02self-revelation to Moses at the burning
236. 12:05bush. Unless you believe that I am, you
237. 12:08will die in your sins. What is he
238. 12:11saying? He's saying the only way to
239. 12:14escape your sins is to receive what I
240. 12:17came to bring you, which is forgiveness,
241. 12:21but it's also the power of the spirit to
242. 12:23overcome your sin.
243. 12:26But if you don't see that God has
244. 12:28incarnated himself in Jesus, then you
245. 12:31won't seek
246. 12:34to have God's spirit incarnated in you
247. 12:36on the day of Pentecost.
248. 12:39But it's only if by the spirit you put
249. 12:41to death the deeds of the flesh that you
250. 12:43will live. If you don't have the spirit,
251. 12:46you have no power to put to death the
252. 12:48sin that is going to keep eating at your
253. 12:50life. So to see that he is Yahweh in the
254. 12:56flesh is to have the hope that we can go
255. 13:00where he is and that we can receive him
256. 13:04into our hearts. not as a concept or a
257. 13:07thought, but as the gracious energizing
258. 13:10power of God himself,
259. 13:13enabling us to be more than mere men.
260. 13:16Therefore, I said to you that you will
261. 13:18die in your sins, for unless you believe
262. 13:20that I am, you will die in your sins."
263. 13:23So they were saying to him, "Who are
264. 13:25you?" Jesus said to them, "What I have
265. 13:29been saying to you from the beginning."
266. 13:32What has he been saying to them from the
267. 13:34beginning? Chapter 5, chapter 6, chapter
268. 13:387. What has he been saying?
269. 13:41I have many things to speak to you and
270. 13:43judge concerning you. But he who sent me
271. 13:48is true. And the things which I heard
272. 13:51from him, these I speak. Who are you?
273. 13:55I'm the man who acts in total submission
274. 13:59to the one who sent me. I'm the conduit.
275. 14:03I'm the incarnate.
276. 14:05I'm the channel is what Jesus is saying.
277. 14:08They did not realize. Now look at this
278. 14:10verse 27. They did not realize that he
279. 14:16had been speaking to them about the
280. 14:19father.
281. 14:21Unless you believe that I am, you will
282. 14:24die in your sins. Who are you? They did
283. 14:27not realize that he had been speaking to
284. 14:29them about the father. He's saying in my
285. 14:33flesh I'm the son of God, the son of
286. 14:35man, but I am the father. The father is
287. 14:39inside of me.
288. 14:41They did not realize that he had been
289. 14:44speaking to them about the father. So
290. 14:48Jesus said, "When you lift up the son of
291. 14:51man, then you will know that I am he."
292. 14:57Who?
293. 14:59the one they didn't realize he was
294. 15:01speaking about the father.
295. 15:06You will know that I am he and I do
296. 15:09nothing on my own initiative
297. 15:12but I speak these things as the father
298. 15:15taught me and he who sent me is with me.
299. 15:21He has not left me alone.
300. 15:27For I always do the things that are
301. 15:30pleasing to him. As he spoke these
302. 15:33things, many came to believe in him.
303. 15:38The whole point is he's telling them, I
304. 15:42am a two-fold being. I'm not just what
305. 15:44your physical eyes can see. living
306. 15:48inside of me is the almighty. It's the
307. 15:51God who is spirit. It's the father.
308. 15:55And he says when you lift up the son of
309. 15:57man, you will know that I am he
310. 16:01and I do nothing on my own initiative.
311. 16:04What he's saying is nobody would choose
312. 16:06the cross on his own initiative.
313. 16:11You're going to lift up the son of man
314. 16:13at Calvary on the cross. And that's the
315. 16:16moment when you're going to be able to
316. 16:18decide. Nobody would do that except in
317. 16:22obedience to the inddwelling divine
318. 16:26to the father that was with him. His
319. 16:29whole point is he says I am not alone.
320. 16:33What I'm doing is an extension of he
321. 16:36that is in me. The son can die because
322. 16:39he is human. The son can can bleed. The
323. 16:43son can weep. The son can hunger but
324. 16:47living in the son is the father. The son
325. 16:50is not alone.
326. 16:52The father is in him. And they
327. 16:55understood this. As he spoke these
328. 16:57things, many came to believe in him.
329. 17:00So Jesus was saying to those Jews who
330. 17:02believed in him,
331. 17:04this is a moment guys. Very few times in
332. 17:08John does it say that the conflict was
333. 17:11resolved with belief.
334. 17:13Very few times does it say that they
335. 17:16went from cynicism and doubt to I
336. 17:18believe. What does he say to those who
337. 17:20believed in him? Congratulations.
338. 17:23I'll put you on the membership role.
339. 17:27No, he basically tells them it won't be
340. 17:30enough. Listen.
341. 17:33So Jesus was saying to those Jews who
342. 17:36had believed in him, if you continue in
343. 17:41my word, then you are truly disciples of
344. 17:46mine
345. 17:48and you will know the truth and the
346. 17:51truth will make you free.
347. 17:55They,
348. 17:56those who believed in him just moments
349. 17:58before, they answered him, "We are
350. 18:01Abraham's descendants and have never
351. 18:03been enslaved to anyone.
352. 18:06How is it that you say you will become
353. 18:08free?"
354. 18:11That's how fast the human heart can
355. 18:14change. That's how fickle faith can be.
356. 18:18I believe, oh, wait a minute. I've got
357. 18:20to take another step.
358. 18:22there's going to be more truth that I
359. 18:24need to walk in. I I've never been
360. 18:25enslaved to anyone, which is a bizarre
361. 18:28statement in and of itself. The Jews
362. 18:30have hardly ever not been enslaved.
363. 18:35They are enslaved while they speak that,
364. 18:38but in their delusions, they think
365. 18:40they're not.
366. 18:41Jesus is telling them, "A moment of
367. 18:44belief is not enough.
368. 18:47A moment of acceptance does not secure
369. 18:49you. You must continue in my word to be
370. 18:54my disciples indeed to actually be my
371. 18:57disciples. And he says, "And you will
372. 18:59know the truth and the truth will make
373. 19:01you free." But literally he's saying you
374. 19:05will be knowing the truth and the truth
375. 19:07will be making you free.
376. 19:11And they say, "We are Abraham's
377. 19:13descendants. We've never been enslaved
378. 19:14to anyone. How is it that you say you
379. 19:17will become free?" Jesus answered them,
380. 19:20"Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone
381. 19:23who commits sin is the slave of sin. The
382. 19:28slave does not remain in the house
383. 19:30forever. The son does remain forever. If
384. 19:34the son makes you free, you will be free
385. 19:37indeed."
386. 19:39Okay, he's just said, "You've got to
387. 19:42continue in my word and you'll be free
388. 19:43indeed." Then he says, "If the son makes
389. 19:46you free, you'll be free indeed." What
390. 19:48he's telling them is that you're not
391. 19:51perfect and you'll never be perfect.
392. 19:53Even if you're a Christian, you're going
393. 19:55to blow it. Sin is a permanent
394. 19:59condition.
395. 20:01But God has provided an ongoing antidote
396. 20:05to this condition.
397. 20:08And that is the truth, the word of God
398. 20:11from the scripture, from your brothers
399. 20:13and sisters, from the spirit. And if you
400. 20:17just stay in the word, that word will
401. 20:19cleanse you. That word will empower you.
402. 20:22That word will forgive you. It will bind
403. 20:25up your failures. It will release you
404. 20:28into grace and victory. And that is how
405. 20:32the son makes you free. The son makes
406. 20:35you free indeed as you continue in his
407. 20:39word and prove his disciples indeed.
408. 20:43The son has worked victory once for all,
409. 20:46but the application of that victory in
410. 20:49your life is an ongoing process.
411. 20:53He goes on and he says, "I know that you
412. 20:55are Abraham's descendants, yet you seek
413. 20:58to kill me
414. 21:00because my word has no place in you."
415. 21:08You know what that literally means? My
416. 21:10word makes no progress in you.
417. 21:16My word starts but it doesn't progress
418. 21:20into changing your mind, your habits,
419. 21:23your way of thinking and feeling and
420. 21:25responding. My word stalls in you.
421. 21:31My word makes no progress in you. I
422. 21:36speak the things which I have seen with
423. 21:38my father. Therefore, you also do the
424. 21:41things which you have heard from your
425. 21:42father.
426. 21:44Then they answered and said to
427. 21:45him,"Abraham is our father." Jesus said
428. 21:48to them, "If you are Abraham's children,
429. 21:51do the deeds of Abraham."
430. 21:55So here we have deeds again, disciples
431. 21:57indeed, free indeed, Abraham's deeds.
432. 22:02But as it is, Jesus says, "You are
433. 22:04seeking to kill me, a man who has told
434. 22:07you the truth which I heard from God."
435. 22:10This Abraham did not do.
436. 22:14You are doing the deeds of your father.
437. 22:18So he's saying, you are incarnating a
438. 22:21spiritual power just like I am. We're
439. 22:24both fighting father against father.
440. 22:29You are doing the deeds of your father.
441. 22:31They said to him, "We are not born of
442. 22:34fornication.
443. 22:36We have one father, God."
444. 22:41Jesus said to them, and and that's an
445. 22:44insult when they say, "We are not born
446. 22:46of fornication." They're hinting that
447. 22:49Jesus was not born of the father, that
448. 22:53his mother conceived him illegitimately.
449. 22:57Jesus said to them, "If God were your
450. 23:01father, you would love me.
451. 23:04For I proceeded forth and have come from
452. 23:07God, for I have not come on my own
453. 23:10initiative,
454. 23:12but he sent me."
455. 23:15Why do you not understand what I am
456. 23:18saying to you? It is because you cannot
457. 23:22hear my word.
458. 23:26You are of your father the devil and you
459. 23:29want to do the desires of your father.
460. 23:33He was a murderer from the beginning and
461. 23:35does not stand in the truth because
462. 23:38there is no truth in him.
463. 23:41Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from
464. 23:44his own nature. For he is a liar and the
465. 23:48father of lies.
466. 23:51But because I speak the truth, you do
467. 23:53not believe me.
468. 23:56Which one of you convicts me of sin?
469. 24:00If I speak truth, why do you not believe
470. 24:03me?
471. 24:06He who is of God hears the words of God.
472. 24:11For this reason, you do not hear them
473. 24:14because you are not of God. And a better
474. 24:18translation says, "He who belongs to God
475. 24:22hears the words of God." You must
476. 24:24surrender yourself to Christ's
477. 24:27ownership.
478. 24:28You must surrender yourself to the
479. 24:31possession of the spirit before you can
480. 24:34recognize the voice of God and speak it
481. 24:36yourself. The Jews answered and said to
482. 24:39him, "Do we not say rightly that you are
483. 24:42a Samaritan and have a demon?"
484. 24:45Jesus answered, "I do not have a demon,
485. 24:49but I honor my father, and you dishonor
486. 24:52me.
487. 24:54But I do not seek my glory.
488. 24:57There is one who seeks and judges.
489. 25:00Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone
490. 25:04keeps my word, he will never see death."
491. 25:08The Jews said to him, "Now we know that
492. 25:11you have a demon. Abraham died and the
493. 25:14prophets also. And you say, "If anyone
494. 25:16keeps my word, he will never taste of
495. 25:19death." Surely you are not greater than
496. 25:22our father Abraham who died.
497. 25:25The prophets died, too. Whom do you make
498. 25:28yourself out to be?
499. 25:31Who do you pretend to be? Is basically
500. 25:33what they're asking. Jesus answered,
501. 25:37"If I glorify myself, my glory is
502. 25:41nothing.
503. 25:43It is my father who glorifies me, of
504. 25:46whom you say, he is our God." And you
505. 25:50have not come to know him.
506. 25:54But I know him. And if I say that I do
507. 25:56not know him, I will be a liar like you.
508. 26:00But I know him and I keep his word.
509. 26:05Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my
510. 26:08day, and he saw it and was glad. So the
511. 26:11Jews said to him, "You are not 50 years
512. 26:14old, and have you seen Abraham?"
513. 26:19Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say
514. 26:22to you, before Abraham was born, I am."
515. 26:29Therefore, they picked up stones to
516. 26:31throw at him. But Jesus hid himself, and
517. 26:34he went out of the temple.
518. 26:37Why did they pick up stones to throw at
519. 26:39him? Because he finally said plainly
520. 26:42what he had been saying all along. I am
521. 26:45Yahweh. I am the father. They thought he
522. 26:49was a man pretending to be God, but he
523. 26:53was actually God making himself out to
524. 26:55be a man.