Jesus, the I AM: Jesus taught that everyone who sins is a slave to sin. But the truth of his teaching brings freedom. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. Authentic disciples remain in the truth of Jesus’ teaching and are set free by the truth of Jesus’ identity — the great I AM. Recorded on Nov 19, 2023, on John 8:31-59 by Pastor David Parks.
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Finding Life in Jesus’ Name is a sermon series on the gospel according to John in the Bible. Have you ever felt unsatisfied with your life? Or, even when things were going well, something was still missing? Many people sense there must be something more. But what?? John, one of the closest friends of Jesus, believed that Jesus came into the world so that we may have life and have it to the full. Jesus turned John’s life upside down, and John claims this new life — marked by God’s power, presence, and purpose — is available for all who believe.
Sermon Transcript
All year, we’re working our way through the gospel according to John in a series called Finding Life in Jesus’ Name. And today, we’re finishing John chapter 8. And we’re considering the root of all the “I AM” statements of Jesus in John’s gospel. If you’ve been with us so far, you might realize we’ve covered several of the “I AM” statements of Jesus. There are actually seven metaphorical “I AM” statements in John’s gospel. So far, we’ve seen Jesus claim, “I am the bread of life.” and “I am the light of the world.” Well, today, Jesus claims to be “I AM.” What does that mean? Why is that so significant? It’s actually one of the most significant claims of Jesus in all of the Bible. If you have a Bible/app, please take it and open it to John 8:31.
John 8:31–36 (NIV), “31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 33 They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?” 34 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to [remains/abides in] it forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” Ok, let’s pause here. So last week, we saw the interaction between Jesus and a large crowd of people who were in the temple in Jerusalem for the Festival of Tabernacles as well as the Pharisees and religious leaders there. And Jesus made the big claim to be the light of the world. And we saw the division his teaching was causing as some believed him while others didn’t understand his teaching or flat-out rejected it. In a similar way, our passage for today starts out with another big claim: that if you hold to (or remain in or abide in) his teaching, you are not only truly his disciples, but then you’ll know the truth, and the truth will set you free. This is a very positive statement, right? Who doesn’t want to be free? But instead of taking Jesus at his word, the people need some clarification. What do you mean, Jesus, that we will be set free? Do we need to be set free? Now, on one level, the Jewish people did indeed need to be set free. They needed political and social freedom from the Roman Empire. And the Romans were just the latest in a long line of foreign rulers. So, the people here must not be referring to political freedom. More likely, they mean moral or spiritual freedom. “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?” And it is here that Jesus articulates the main problem with the world and with every one of us: “Very truly I tell you [meaning, pay attention, this is important], everyone who sins is a slave to sin.” One of the problems with sin is that it isn’t just particularly tempting for us or even harmful to us and others; it’s that sin is enslaving. When we sin, we have to serve sin as a slave has to serve their master. Jesus is using the vivid language of slavery and liberation because it was a common situation in the Roman Empire, but his purpose is to highlight the real problem with the world. And it’s not first a political problem. It’s not first a problem of education or healthcare or finance either. The real problem in this world of darkness is this: sin owns us, and we need to be set free. If you don’t believe me, just try as hard as you can to perfectly love God and love your neighbor as yourself for a week, for a day! Or just try to be completely honest with yourself and others and see how often you’re tempted to distort the truth. Or just walk around the mall and see if you can stay perfectly content with all the stuff you already have and not feel the greed and lust for more creep into your heart. Half the time, we don’t even meet our own standards for being a good person, much less a perfect person. And this is nothing compared to the stranglehold that lust or pride or anger or anxiety has over some of us. We really do have a problem. Continuing the metaphor, Jesus says that a slave has no permanent place in the family. “…but a son belongs to [or remains/abides in] it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” So, according to Jesus, the main problem with the world and everyone in it, including his own Jewish people by birth, is our enslavement to sin. And the main consequence of this is that we have no permanent place in the family where Jesus is the true Son. The solution Jesus offers is not just to believe his teaching but to hold to his teaching, to cling to it, to keep believing it, to persevere in it. But if we do so, then the truth offered by the true Son, Jesus himself, will liberate you, will set you free.
John 8:37-47 (NIV), “37 I know that you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are looking for a way to kill me, because you have no room for my word. 38 I am telling you what I have seen in the Father’s presence, and you are doing what you have heard from your father.” 39 “Abraham is our father,” they answered. “If you were Abraham’s children,” said Jesus, “then you would do what Abraham did. 40 As it is, you are looking for a way to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. 41 You are doing the works of your own father.” “We are not illegitimate children,” they protested. “The only Father we have is God himself.” 42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me. 43 Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. 44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! 46 Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? 47 Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.” Ok, let’s pause once more. Again, when feeling pushback from the crowd, Jesus doesn’t soften his teaching; he doubles down. He says it’s not just that you are slaves to sin and need to be set free, but he says that they are not children of God or even true children of Abraham; they are children of the devil. And this isn’t Jesus insulting them or name-calling. All the way back in Genesis 3, the original temptation by Satan led to the loss of spiritual life and relationship with God. Now, here, Jesus knows that some in the crowd wanted to kill him. The original temptation was based on a lie: that the word of God was not trustworthy or true. Now here, Jesus knows that the crowd does not accept his word/teaching as trustworthy or true. Jesus is saying, “You’re acting just like your father.” And the devastating reason Jesus gives is that they do not belong to God. How do you think the people will respond to this? How would you respond if you were there?
John 8:48-59 (NIV), “48 The Jews answered him, “Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?” 49 “I am not possessed by a demon,” said Jesus, “but I honor my Father and you dishonor me. 50 I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge. 51 Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death.” 52 At this they exclaimed, “Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that whoever obeys your word will never taste death. 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?” 54 Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. 55 Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and obey his word. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.” 57 “You are not yet fifty years old,” they said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!” 58 “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” 59 At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.” This is God’s word. Did you notice how John brilliantly builds the tension throughout this scene until the dramatic climax right at the end there? But the people respond exactly how we thought they would respond to this devastating critique of Jesus. They are furious. “Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?” Now, as you might know, the Jews and the Samaritans had a terrible relationship at this time. They lived next to each other but had religious, ethnic, social, and political differences that had resulted in violent conflict at several points over hundreds of years of history. Calling Jesus a Samaritan and demon-possessed were both intended to be major insults. But Jesus doesn’t play into their character attack. He is fully secure in his relationship with his Father in heaven. And this assurance is the context for yet another bold claim. Not only will holding to the word/teaching of Jesus set you free from enslavement to sin, but to death as well. v. 51 says, “Very truly I tell you [pay attention, this is important], whoever obeys my word will never see death.” “How can this be?” respond the people, “Abraham and the prophets obeyed the word of God, but they died. Who do you think you are?” Just who do you make yourself out to be, Jesus? Are you greater than Abraham? Jesus responds by saying that he’s not making himself out to be anything. He’s not glorifying himself. He’s not lifting himself up or exalting himself. “My Father,” Jesus says, “whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me.” Jesus was not selfishly seeking his own glory, honor, or fame. But to deny that the Father was glorifying the Son would make Jesus out to be a liar. This whole enterprise of the Father sending the Son to be the savior of the world and to rescue his people not from Caesar but from the greater oppressors of sin and death was the promised plan of God the whole time. It was what God had promised to do starting in Genesis 3 with the promise that the offspring of the woman would crush the head of the ancient serpent, the devil. It was what God had promised to do in Genesis 12/15/17 with the promise that the offspring of Abraham would be a blessing to all the nations. It was what God had promised to do in 2 Samuel 7 with the promise to King David that from his offspring would come a king who would reign over the kingdom of God forever and ever. So Jesus could say in verse 56, “Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.” This means that everything God had promised to Abraham was coming to fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus. But the people reject this claim, taking Jesus a little too literally, saying, “You are not yet fifty years old,” they said to him, [for in fact Jesus was in his early thirties] “and you have seen Abraham!” What a ridiculous claim, they think! But then, in the dramatic climax and the third marked statement of Jesus in this passage, he says, “Very truly I tell you [pay attention, this is important], before Abraham was born, I am!” Now, if Jesus wanted to claim that he existed some 2,000 years earlier during the time of Abraham, it would’ve been grammatically easier to say, “Before Abraham was born, I was!” but that’s not what he says. Why not? The answer lies in the Exodus story in the OT. The book of Exodus starts with the people of Israel in a fairly dire situation. They had moved to Egypt during the time of Joseph, but several hundred years later, they no longer enjoyed a place of honor there but were held in captivity. They were slaves, and they were being treated very harshly. When God appeared to Moses in the famous story of the burning bush and appointed Moses to lead his people out of captivity in Egypt, Moses asked God about his identity. Let’s look at this together in Exodus 3:13–14 (NIV), “13 Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” The Hebrew phrase for “I AM” (meaning something like “I am existence itself”) is where the personal name of Yahweh comes from. Yahweh sounds like the Hebrew for “I AM.” Now, out of respect for the divine name of God, anywhere in the OT that the personal name of God comes up, it is translated as LORD in all caps. But the underlying name for God is the I AM. This history reveals why the people picked up stones to kill Jesus. They rightly understood that Jesus was claiming to be God, Yahweh, the great I AM himself. None other than the one who stood in the burning bush, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But instead of accepting that claim in faith, they angrily and murderously reject Jesus in the hardness of their hearts. But again, it wasn’t yet the hour of Jesus, so he slipped away from the mob. Let’s see if we can follow the logic of what happened. Jesus said, “If you hold to my word, you’ll be set free from slavery to sin and death.” The people said, “How can this be since we are children of Abraham and therefore children of God?” “You are not,” Jesus answered, “as shown by your rejection of me and my teaching. You are actually children of the devil.” “Who do you think you are?” they replied. And Jesus said, “Before Abraham was born, I am.” What a wild scene in the temple that day.
But what does this dramatic story mean for us today? How do we apply this to our lives? I’ll leave you with two thoughts. 1. Authentic disciples remain in the truth of Jesus’ teaching. This passage is full of contrasts, and John loves contrasts: truth and lies; children of God/Abraham and children of the devil; slaves and free people; what they’ve seen and heard; honor and dishonor; and, of course, life and death. And for those who call themselves Christians today, it’s good to compare and contrast the true/authentic disciple of Jesus with the false disciple. I wish there was some indicator light that revealed genuine faith from the counterfeit, but there isn’t anything like that. Only God knows the human heart. But Jesus is saying one of the best ways to know if you or someone you know is an authentic disciple of Jesus is perseverance in holding to the truth of God’s word. This isn’t to say that God will not welcome the wayward or prodigal son or daughter from coming home. Jesus is clear that there is a celebration in heaven when that happens. And this doesn’t mean that a deathbed confession of faith in Jesus is invalid. It’s just that the best way to know for sure that you are an authentic disciple of Jesus and a child of God is by faithful obedience to God’s word. So how about you? Does the teaching of Jesus have authority over you or not? Are you in and under God’s word? Do you believe Jesus even when he contradicts your preferences or your will? Do you cling to his teaching, seeking to understand it and apply it as if your life depended on it? Or not? It’s not obedience to God’s word or to the way of Jesus that saves us. It’s that saving faith in Jesus will produce a new heart and a new life of repentance and obedient faith. The grace of God makes us want to obey and follow God’s way. Authentic disciples hold to/remain in/abide in the truth of Jesus’ teaching. 2. Authentic disciples are set free because of the truth of Jesus’ identity. This is the great climax of this story. If it’s true, it’s the great climax of human history. The shocking revelation that the man, Jesus of Nazareth, was and is and ever will be Yahweh God, the great I AM, and the promised fulfillment of everything that God had promised to his people. Authentic disciples are set free from sin and death because this is who Jesus is. And how are we set free? Because just as the “I AM” did in the time of the Exodus, so Jesus sets us free from our captivity, not from Egypt, but from sin and death, and leads us into the Promised Land of his life, his kingdom, and his family forever. Authentic disciples remain in the truth of Jesus’ teaching and are set free because of the truth of his identity. So today, may we be people who cling to the teaching of Jesus and trust in him both now and forever. Let us pray.