Do you ever find yourself frustrated when you're not able to convince others of Jesus' deity? or maybe you're the one always challenging others to convince you that Christ really is the promised Messiah.
Well, today on Truth for Life we'll learn an important lesson from Jesus himself. Alastair Begg is teaching from the closing verses of John chapter 8. Their question is: Are you greater than our father Abram who died? Jesus does not address that. He picks up on what he's already said in verse 50.
Remember up there in verse 50, when they accuse him of having a demon and so on, he said very straightforwardly, I don't seek my own glory. There is one who seeks it. and he is the judge.
Now he comes back to it.
Now you see in verse 54. If I glorify myself, He says that would mean Nothing. But he says, I am not without honor. And this glory is not self-given. I didn't come on my own accord.
But I was dispatched. I was sent here. Remember that somehow in the mystery of the purposes of God in eternity, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit have set about, if you like, the business of salvation. And this is foundational biblical doctrine, incidentally. This is not some strange esoteric approach to understanding the doctrine of the Trinity.
And so these individuals, these straight monotheists, are up against this dilemma. How can it possibly be? That you We know where you came from. We knew that you worked with your father Joseph. We know about Bethlehem.
We know about all these things. How can you possibly say this?
Now, the words of Jesus, of course, are the words that the Father has given him. That is also very important, and it doesn't come in this chapter, but it comes in John chapter 12. Listen to what Jesus says, for I have not spoken on my own authority. By the Father who sent me, has himself given me a commandment, what to say and what to speak. In other words, If you get Me?
You get him. And if you get him, You get me. It sort of was a perplexity for them. Unless you believe that I am He, he said in verse 24 back in John chapter 8. Remember John chapter 8.
In in verse 24, He said to them, Unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins. And so they said to him. Who are you? Who are you? They're wrestling with a question.
of his identity. I was sitting at my desk last night. as happens to me all the time. I I suddenly uh was transported back to 1970. And I could hear in my head.
uh Mary Magdalene song. Uh from Superstar. Mary Magdalene, as given these words by Andrew Lloyd Weber, hasn't really much of a clue what's going on. And as you move around the community in these days, If there is any interest whatsoever in Jesus of Nazareth, Most people that I encounter have already concluded with Mary Magdalene. That he's a man.
He's just a man. Like so many others.
So many different religious leaders, so many ideas out there.
So many across the pages of human history. What's the big deal? about Jesus.
Now these are the questions that we really ought to be having with our friends and neighbors. On the one occasion that is recorded, when Paul Simon met in London with the late John Stott. John Stuart said to him, If our conversation is going to be profitable, Why don't we set ourselves the task of Asking the question. Is Jesus Christ the person that he claimed to be. I wish I could have been.
able to listen in on that conversation to hear How start? Went through the material. I wouldn't be at all surprised if he didn't turn to Matthew's Gospel. And remind Paul. that Jesus had asked the question of his followers, What's the word on the street about me?
When people are talking about me, who do they say that the Son of Man is? And remember they come back to him and they say, Well, a number of people are suggesting that you're kind of a reincarnation of John the Baptist.
Some think you're Elijah, others think you're Jeremiah. By and large, they've got you as just one of the prophets. And he said to them, But who do you say? But I am That's the question.
Now, what's the general consensus view of the contemporary Jewish milieu? or of our contemporary context. What do people say?
Well, they say all kinds of things. But Jesus said, but what do you say? You're a 10-year-old boy. What do you say? You're a successful nurse.
What do you say? You're a retired gentleman. What do you say? And of course Peter steps up and he says, Well, Let me answer if no one else does. You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.
And Jesus says, what a genius you are, Peter. Yeah. What did he say to me? He said, flesh and blood. Has not revealed it to you.
But my father Who is in heaven? Remember, the scriptures say that no one can say Jesus is Lord but by the work of the Holy Spirit. It's what we saw in the prologue. Ah, he came to his own, his own received him not. But as many as received him to them, he gave power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe in his name, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but born of God.
Flesh and blood doesn't reveal this to you. You will never come to trust in Christ as a result of someone being able to argue you into a conclusion. Almighty God in Christ is able to speak such clarity into the life of these individuals, and they stand and look at Him with their fingers in their ears. Only way that it happens. That's why we're going to pray tonight.
When God opens blind eyes, and softens hard hearts. Has he ever done that for you? I know not how the spirit moves. convincing men of sin, Revealing Jesus. Through the word.
creating Faith in Him. We must move on. from the fact that they were Dealing with this inquiry unresolved concerning Jesus' identity. And now they find themselves confronted by Jesus' claim. to deity.
We're not sure about your identity.
Well, Jesus said, Let me just um Make it a little harder for you. Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am. Your father, verse 56, your father Abraham. You keep on about your father Abraham, I get that. Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day.
He saw it and was glad. What is Jesus saying here?
Well, they're saying that during Abraham's lifetime. During Abraham's lifetime, which took place about two thousand years earlier, Abraham In that context, rejoiced to see Jesus' day. Your question, he says, Was Am I greater than Abraham? The short answer Yes. That was what you wanted to know.
Am I greater than Abraham, who died, and the prophets who died? Yes. Because Abraham rejoiced in seeing the prospect of the day when the Messiah would come. And by faith He saw it from afar.
Now, this is quite incredible and demanding. And one of the ways to deal with it is just to say. How actually that happened, I don't really have much of a clue, but we know that it happened because Jesus said that it happened, therefore, let's move on. But for those of you who Are not satisfied with that kind of approach. Let me give you a couple of angles to pursue on your own.
Because there are a whole variety of ways in which we could say in Abraham's time that he rejoiced to see Jesus' day. For example, and I can turn to all of these in light of time. But for example, in the vision of Genesis 15, Where God establishes the covenant and he walks in the mystery of that. And it says in that that Abraham fell into a deep sleep. It was like he was under anesthetic in Genesis 15.
I think perhaps Hey there in the vision. Maybe in the promise of blessing that would come in Genesis chapter 12, through your seed all the nations of the earth would be blessed. He looks forward with the eye of faith, as it were, and he takes God at his word and he says, Yeah, okay. Perhaps actually In the Lord's appearing? In Genesis 12, because one of the questions is always about these mysterious people, Melchizedek and others.
Is this a pre-incarnate manifestation of the second person of the Trinity in Genesis? What is it? Uh eighteen. When you have the visit the the heavenly visitors. The three of them Personally, I take it that two are angels and the other is a pre-incarnate.
arrival of the second person of the Trinity. There's so much more in it. Did he see the day in the promise of the birth of Isaac? Did he see the day in the arrival of Isaac? Did he look at the arrival of Isaac and realize that God's promise was true and therefore that somehow or another this would lead eventually to that day when the Messiah would come from that line?
I don't know. We'll have to ask him. But what he was rejoicing in was a reality that he could only see, as it were, through a glass darkly. He was rejoicing when he says to Isaac, and we read that this morning, didn't we? If we've done McShane this morning, in Genesis 22, he's and that was not that was not a that was just if you did.
But um I know I came across like that. I wasn't supposed to, but because in Genesis 22, Isaac says to him, Well, we've got all the stuff, but we don't have a lamb. We're the world. Does Abraham come up with this? God Himself We'll provide a lamb.
On the mountain he will do so. There's got to be a sense somehow or another in what Jesus is saying here. You get an. inkling of that at least. And what Jesus is doing here.
is his identifying the fact. That all of the fulfillment of Abraham's hopes, visions, joys, and anticipations, all of them. are fulfilled. in his own person. In his own word.
And in his on works. And Ryle, who's been a help to me in these studies, at this point in his commentary. He makes a little statement. I'll share this for what it's worth. What he's addressing is the fact that Too many of us read our Bibles.
Paying far too much attention to the to the blank page that's in between uh Malachi. And uh and Matthew. Alec Mattia used to say very much along the same thing. He said, make sure that you take that page and Yeah, you t you tear it out of your Bible. Um which I'm not I'm not suggesting that you do that.
I'm just having a look at mine. Yeah. Yeah, so you got that that Blank page in the middle.
Well, it's it said, Well so once you get there everything everything changes, you see.
So how could Abraham? How could Abraham know anything about the New Testament? Uh this is this is Ryle. The plain truth is that we are too apt to forget that there never was but one way of salvation. One Saviour and one hope for sinners.
And that Abraham and all the Old Testament saints, looked to the same Christ that we look to ourselves. And then quoting the 39 articles, which is the Anglican equivalent of the Westminster Confession, if you like. Article number seven, quotes. The Old Testament is not contrary to the New. For both in the Old and New Testament, Everlasting life is offered through Christ.
who is the only mediator between God and man. being both God and man. Wherefore They are not to be heard. People are not to be heard. Who?
Pretend That the old fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and so on, who pretend that the old fathers did look only for transitory promises. All they were looking for was a transitory promise. This is the truth that we must never forget. in reading the Old Testament. This is sound speech.
That cannot be condemned.
So what he's actually saying there is, if you like, in relationship to Isaac, not only is Abraham looking to the fulfillment in a transitory way of the provision of Isaac. But he is actually looking beyond that. Transitory fulfilment. to a fulfilment that is found. in Jesus.
Now, the reaction then, and we must stop, the reaction back in verse 57. the reaction Uh once again on the part of these fellows is uh much the same.
So the Jews said to him, You're not fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?
Well, he didn't say he had seen Abraham. Right? He didn't say that. He said, Abraham saw my day, and he rejoiced and was glad.
Now, what they're doing is that they're doing what happens again and again. They respond crassly, if you like. They respond literalistically. They understand Jesus to be claiming to have been present on earth during Abraham's lifetime. And that would then be how he could have seen his day.
And that couldn't be because he hadn't even reached the age of retirement. Why they chose fifty, I don't know, and I don't think anybody else does.
Well, this couldn't possibly be. You're not fifty years old. How could you have seen Abraham? And then comes the Ayam. Here's Calvin.
What Jesus Christ said about himself. that he was before Abraham. before Abram was created. does not at all refer to his humanity. For he did not become man until many centuries after Abraham's death.
And they say, well, how could you not even 50? And he lived 2,000 years ago. What are you talking about? Calvin helps us out. He's not talking about his humanity.
He's talking about his eternity. What he's doing is he is taking to himself, and rightly so, the word that God used. When Moses asked him, Exodus chapter 3, when I go to your people to tell them what you're telling me to tell them, who will I say sent me? And he says You tell them that I am sent you. I am that I am is the verb to be.
In other words, what Jesus is doing here is he's picking up what John has given us in the prologue. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Before Abraham came into existence. I am. He came into existence I didn't come into existence.
Divinity has no past. Deity has no past, no future. Deity is present. I am. I am.
He doesn't say before Abraham was, I was. He says, Before Abraham was, A creature of time, I am.
Now we have to stop. But a commentator by the name of Morgan captures this, I think. He says, That, speaking of Jesus' words, is a supreme claim to deity. These are the words of the most impudent blasphemer. Blasphemer that ever spoke.
Or the words of God incarnate. You gotta choose. I'm going to decide that he is an impudent blasphemer. Or it's God incarnate.
Now, what makes this so significant, and that's why I was saying that it kind of builds to this. In seeing this, Jesus actually provides the answer. to the to the previous questions.
So for example How is it that he can claim to grant immortality to his followers. How can he say, if you keep my word, you will never see death? On what basis does he say that? Because of who he is. I am.
It's also the answer to the question. Who are you? Verse 25. I am. I'm God incarnate.
It's also the answer to the question How was it possible for Abraham to see His day. And so They said, Well, then we'll become your followers directly. Let's just uh Let's just uh it's been a wonderful conversation and we're going to follow you. Yeah. So they did what was prescribed in Deuteronomy.
should be done to somebody claiming To be other than he was.
Someone claiming to be the prophet of God, who wasn't the prophet of God, they picked up their stones. to stone him. It's interesting that people's reaction to Jesus is often passionate like that. In Deuteronomy, there was a legitimate judicial process. That's why it was put in place.
This is not a judicial process. This is a passionate, arrogant response. This is like, let's just kill him. And Jesus is hidden away. As man Jesus flees.
from the stones writes an ancient commentator. But woe to those. from whose heart of stone Jesus flees. Jesus flees. From the stones.
But woe to those from whose heart of stone Jesus flees. You're listening to Bible teacher Alistair Begg on Truth for Life. Alastair returns in just a moment to close today's program. You know, Alastair often quotes the scripture that says today, If you hear God's voice, do not harden your heart.
So, if you sensed God's Spirit prompting you today as you listened to the teaching, please don't ignore him. Give us a call or visit our website. We'd be happy to recommend additional teaching to address remaining spiritual questions you may have. You can reach us at 888-588-7884 or visit us online at TruthforLife.org. And if you'd like your fellow listeners to pray for you, for your salvation, whatever your need is, we have a team of volunteers who will pray for you.
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Now here's Alastair with a closing prayer. Lord Jesus, thank you that you are the eternal Christ. that you share The everlasting life of the Father and of the Spirit. That you are the changeless Lord who towers over History. You're master of time.
Ruler of the ages. undiminished by the passing of the centuries. You're the same yesterday, today, and forever. you are still able to save to the uttermost. all who come to God.
Through you. Amen. I'm Bob Lepine. Thanks for studying the Bible with us today. When Jesus healed a blind man, there were some who rejoiced, others who reviled him.
Why were the reactions so divided? We'll find out tomorrow. The Bible teaching of Alistair Begg is furnished by Truth for Life. where the Learning is for Living.
