Who Were the Sons of God?

Tom:

We are continuing with the Gospel of John and we are in John 8 and Dave, we are going to jump right in on verse 37, “I know that ye are Abraham's seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you. I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father. They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham. But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham. Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God. Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.”

Dave:

Pretty heavy verses here Tom.He’s accusing them of going about to kill him.In chapter seven we already heard they—some of the Jews whispered to one another, “Isn’t this the man they want to kill?” But now they are denying that.I think it was Werner Von Braun who came from Germany, remember the rocket scientist and really probably the father of modern rocketry in America?He helped us get things going.He was a Christian and I can’t remember his exact words, but he said something like, you know it is so incredible.Here comes the God who created this universe and who created mankind and they want to kill him.It shows the hatred within the human heart.Jesus did nothing but good.He was kind to everyone, but he is the light of the world.He showed up the darkness of their hearts.They really hated him.He said they hated me without a cause.The cause was the wickedness of their own hearts.

Tom:

Self.

Dave:

Yes, so the solemnity of this—God sends his Son and of course Jesus gave a number of parables where he said, you know the vineyard owner lets his vineyard out to some people to keep it and when he sends his servants to check up and find out where’ the revenue, you were supposed to pay me the rent and so forth, they kill them.Finally he sends his only son saying surely they will reverence him.This is Jesus now giving this little story to the Pharisees, and instead they kill him.He was telling them he was going to kill him and of course if they had known their prophets, they would have known that was what they would do to the Messiah, Isaiah:53:3-6 [3] He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. [4] Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. [5] But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. [6] All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
See All... for example says, “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised and we esteemed him not.Surely he has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.But he was wounded for our transgression, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.All we like sheep are gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord (Yahweh, Jehovah) hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”He’s cut off out of the land of the living.They didn’t think their Messiah would be cut off, but who else could this be talking about?Who else could bear the sins of the world?And who would die to pay the penalty of the world that his own infinite justice required?And they are going to be the ones that will do it Tom.“You seek to kill me.”Oh they deny that.Well they will be in the crowd there in front of Pilate.When Pilate says, “We’ll I’ll give you Barabas, what then should I do with Jesus?” And they say “Crucify him, crucify him!”Tom, it’s not just the Jews, it was Pilate that did it, the Romans.The Roman soldiers drove the nails into his hands and feet; they scourged him.It was your sins and mine; we killed Christ; we crucified him.He had to die because we are sinners; because of his love.So it was our sins that nailed him there.

Tom:

Dave, verse 40, “But now ye seek to kill me, a man who hath told you the truth.”The truth.We’ve talked in other programs about there is no interest in truth today.

Dave:

The truth hurts we say—the old saying.

Tom:

Yes, but even to take—when I say there is no interest, sociologists, philosophers talk about something called postmodernism and one of the characteristics of that is there is no truth.Everything is relevant.So it isn’t just that the heart does not want to hear truth.The mind, our applications of things in the world today.We avoid truth.

Dave:

Now why would people take that attitude Tom?Because the truth pins you down.The truth defines the issues and the truth doesn’t give you any wiggle room.Yes it is popular in our universities.Everything is relative.

Tom:

Talk about issues.What’s your perspective?Everybody’s got their own perspective.

Dave:

Yes, let’s have your opinion, my opinion, no absolutes, absolutely no absolutes.So you hear that and you hear it from politicians.Follow a person around.Out of one side of his mouth he says, “There ain’t no absolutes, there’s no real truth, it’s all relative, your opinion against mine.”But follow him a little while later and he’ll tell you, “Let me tell you what’s wrong with the world!”He’s got his solution.Well why should any solution work?Why should there even be a problem?How can you define a problem without the truth?So the truth forces you—Christ, remember in Luke 12? He said, “I didn’t come to bring peace, I came to bring a sword, I came to bring division.”Four times in John’s gospel, I don’t think we’ve gotten to the first one, it says, “There was a division among the Jews,” because of him.Truth defines issues; truth forces you to take sides.Something is either true or false.We were just talking about that with relation to God’s love.God either loves everyone or he doesn’t.He either wants everyone in heaven and has given his Son to pay the full penalty, or he doesn’t.Christ either died for everyone or he didn’t.When he said it is finished, Tetelasti, the debt is paid in full, he either meant it was paid in full for all mankind, or only for a certain few.So the truth is not popular when it conflicts with what I want.

Tom:

But an interesting contrast—we read it earlier in this chapter of John.John 8, “If you continue in my word, you are my disciples indeed and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”Now are people—these Pharisees, or even in our own hearts, do we avoid the truth, not wanting to be set free?Hardly.But yes, that’s the way it works out.We would rather be in bondage thinking that we are delivering self, or protecting or preserving self.

Dave:

Right, we would rather be in bondage and have my own way than admit I am wrong and be set free by Christ and that’s the way sadly, Tom, with many people.I was born a Baptist, I’ll die a Baptist.I was born a Catholic, I’ll die a Catholic; born a Hindu, die a Hindu.Their very stubbornness and pride prevents them from knowing the truth because they have a heritage, they have something they’ve committed themselves to, and it would be too humbling to admit that I’m wrong.And that’s what Jesus is saying to them.They have an idea of the Messiah.The Messiah is going to come.They are the good guys, they are under the heel of Rome and the Messiah is going to come and set them free from the Romans and they don’t realize that they are the servants of sin and of self and the Messiah was coming to set them free from that.That’s not the Messiah they want and he is trying to tell them the truth that would deliver them for eternity and they want to remain in bondage.It’s a tragedy Tom, but it’s repeated today.“I speak that which I have seen of my Father.”And they say well Abraham is our father.And then finally they say God is our Father.I hear people say that all the time.But he’s not.If he were, you would be something different than you are.