(A) Introduction. (Read the reference)

The whole section is about the truth as Christ teaches it, the great benefits of accepting the truth and living by it and the possibility and dangers of rejecting it.

In the lively interplay between Jesus and his opponents passions run high. The hatred the religious leaders had for Jesus is very much in evidence and it is very depressing. The almost total disagreement between the Jews and Jesus is also disturbing - even for a Christian of many years standing like my self. Either Jesus is telling the truth about him self or he is as mad as his enemies believed. There is no other alternative.

(B) The origin's of Christ's truth.

Jesus said, "I am telling you what I have seen in the Father's presence." v38. He describes himself as: "A man who has told you the truth that I heard from God." v40.

God the Father was the confidant of the Son. They were hand in glove. God gradually revealed to Jesus during his 30 years on earth his essential role in redeeming the lost.

Jesus, the Saviour, this Gospel to tell,
Joyfully came;
Came with the helpless and hopeless to dwell,
Sharing their sorrow and shame:
Seeking the lost,
Saving, redeeming at measureless cost.

A genuine disciple of Jesus is not one with a particular sort of conversion experience. Discipleship does not depend on being a member of any given denomination or consenting to a certain doctrinal statement. A person with joyful exuberance and numerous gifts of the spirit does not meet the standard Jesus set. He said: "If you hold to my teaching you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth ... ." v31and32.

The only way to prove the truth of anyone's teaching is to practice it. Shane Warne, the great Australian leg break bowler, was a bit out of sorts before the first test against England at Lords in 2005. So he had a two-hour practice session with Jenner the bowling coach. Jenner told him that his follow through was faulty. Warne worked assiduously to put it right and the result was evident in England's second innings where one batsman after another succumbed either to his leg break or floater. Warne proved the truth of Jenner's advice.

We must practice the teaching of Christ in order to discover its truth. The only way to experience the promised blessings of the Beatitudes is to be poor in spirit, meek, pure in heart, merciful and so on. (See, for example, my exposition on: Blessed are the pure in heart.) If we comply with Christ's instructions we shall gradually become the sort of people he desires. We shall be true citizens of the Kingdom.

(D) A great promise: his truth will set us free.

(1) There is the truth about himself - that sets us free.

We shall in this exposition confine ourselves to looking at three such truths in the passage under consideration:

(a) Jesus is sinless. He asked the Jews: "Can any of you prove me guilty of sin?" v46. The truth of Christ's sinlessness means that we can trust him for more than our lives. We can trust him with our eternal well being. Christ's perfection frees us from all uncertainty. He will not fail us or let us down. We can sing in full assurance:
When other helpers fail, and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, O abide with me.

(b) Jesus is the fulfilment of God's promises. Jesus told the Jews: "Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad."

One of the great promises God made to Abraham was: "And through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me." Gen22v18. Abraham anticipated that day with gladness two thousand years before the arrival of Jesus upon earth. He in particular anticipated Christ's coming when he said in answer to Isaac's query on Mt Moriah: "God himself will provide the lamb for the bunt offering my son." Gen22v3.

Many centuries passed before the advent of Jesus - the Lamb of God to take away the sins of the world - but in the fullness of time he came. God is faithful - he keeps his promises to the sons of men. That truth should free us from all doubts and fears. God is faithful. James writes: Every good and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. AV. God shines constant as the sun. He does not change like shifting shadows.

(c) Jesus is of divine status. He said: "I tell you the truth, before Abraham was born, I am!"

This is a clear, unambiguous statement of Christ's divinity. Jesus has always been and will always be. He is like God who said to Moses: "I AM WHO I AM."

I was privileged as a young man to study Geography at University College, London. I had excellent, well-qualified teachers with a high academic reputation. It gave me confidence to have been educated by distinguished, respected scholars. I never doubted my qualifications to teach in a boy's grammar school after graduating from UCL.

Christians should be free from feelings of inferiority. We should not be half ashamed of being disciples of Jesus. He was the very Son of God not some mad leader of a cult. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ... He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. .... For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things. Col1v15to20. If we truly believe these wonderful words of Paul in praise of his Master we, like him, will be free to serve with confidence.

(2) There are the promises he made.

Jesus makes two in the passage and we will restrict our study to those:

(a) He promises to release us from the slavery of sin and to make us sons of God. In this way he frees us from chronic insecurity. Jesus says: "A slave has no permanent place in the family but a son belongs to it for ever." v35.

There was a big difference in the status of Ishmael, the son of a slave woman, and Isaac - the son of promise. Ishmael was forced to leave the safety of Abraham's camp. We are secure in Christ because to all who believe in his name he gives the right to become children of God. John1v12.

(b) Jesus assures believers that they will triumph over death. "I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my words, he will never see death." v51. The finality and hopelessness of death is banished for the obedient disciple of Jesus. Death is only like falling asleep. Those who are asleep in Christ will be resurrected to eternal life.

This wonderful promise of Jesus, repeated after the raising of Lazarus, frees us from from the fear of death. Our spirits are not lost in death but kept for restoration to our new bodies on the return of Jesus to this earth.

I fear no foes with Thee at hand to bless;
Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness.
Where is death's sting? Where grave they victory?
I triumph still, if Thou abide with me.

Jesus gives us a manual for living. He teaches us the way to please God. It is as we practice his teaching that we are set free properly to serve God. This is how it is with all kinds of practical instruction whether it be how to do brain surgery or cook an omelette. A trainee chef will be taught how to prepare an omelette but it is only by dint of practice that he or she will succeed.

I will look at three examples of Jesus' teaching by way of illustration.

(a) "Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." Lk12v5.

A lot of people, including some Christians, are enslaved by acquisitiveness. Their concept of happiness is to buy, buy, buy! My neighbour has just bought a second car - a flashy little sports car. He doesn't need it. He just wanted it. It is an indulgence.

If we follow the teaching of Jesus we shall be set free. We shall come to see that possessions, things, don't matter one iota.

(b) "Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen of them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven." Mt6v1. Jesus tells us to give, pray and fast without publicity: "Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret will reward you." Mt6v5.

It is something to be set free from desiring the plaudits of men. To long obsessively for recognition and commendation is a kind of slavery. It seems to me that many Christians are preoccupied by their reputation with those that matter - just as the Pharisees were. If all we are concerned about is pleasing God, come what may, we shall be set gloriously free to serve disinterestedly.

(c) Jesus taught: "Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave - just as the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many." Mt20v21.

If we continue in this teaching we shall be set free from selfishness to serve others without thought of reward - except in the hereafter.

(E) The truth rejected.

In rejecting Christ's truth his enemies were:

(1) Unreasonable.
Jesus said in exasperation to the Jews: "Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say." v43.

The opponents of Jesus never really listened to him because of their prejudice, pride, fear of being wrong and indignation. For example, when Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death", the reasonable response would be to ask for clarification or elaboration. The Jews could have asked Jesus to explain in what sense a believer would never see death. Instead they shouted: "Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?" v53. The religious leaders had already made their minds up about Jesus and were only interested in discrediting him and making him look ridiculous.

On Thursday July 28th 2005 there was a good illustration of the unreasonableness of a religious leader - blinded by prejudice, pride and fear. I quote: The most senior Islamic cleric in Birmingham claimed yesterday that Muslims were being unjustly blamed in the war on terrorism and that the eight suspects in the two bombing attacks on London "could have been innocent passengers".

Mohammad Naseem, the chairman of the city's central mosque, called Tony Blair a "liar" and "unreliable witness" and questioned whether CCTV footage issued of the suspected bombers was of the perpetrators.

He said that Muslims "all over the world have never heard of an organisation called al-Qu'eda".

(2) Abusive.
The enemies of Jesus hated him so much that they resorted to personal abuse. They said, "We are not illegitimate children" - casting aspersions on Jesus' uncertain parentage. They also accused him of being a Samaritan and demon-possessed. v48.

As soon as people in dispute start calling their opponents names they have lost all interest in the truth. All that matters is discrediting, by fair means or foul, the person or persons you disagree with.

(3) Violent.
Twice, in verses 37 and 40, Jesus accuses the Jews of wanting to kill him. The argument between the Master and his enemies concluded when they picked up stones to stone him. v59. Wherever hatred exists violence inevitably ensues. That is why Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount: "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment." Mt5v21and22.

The great tragedy of the history of the Christian church is that disagreements about the truth have been conducted in the same way as the dispute between the Jews and Jesus.

Christian fundamentalists abandon reason when they oppose those who argue that the Genesis flood was local in extent. They make no attempt to explain rationally how Noah could have toured the world collecting animals from as far a field as Australia and the Arctic. They do not explain how kangaroos released by Noah after the flood made their way back to Australia before breeding. It would have involved some mighty leaps! I have shown in my article on the Genesis Flood that the Biblical account is of a large, extensive but local flood. Christian fundamentalist do not even consider the possibility that I might be right!

During the reformation the language used by Luther and his Roman Catholic opponents in the vicious attacks they made on one another was appalling. Jesus used the strongest language in denouncing the Pharisees. However, his descriptions of them were appropriate. They were blind guides and whited sepulchres. The language of Luther and his Roman Catholic enemies was inappropriate.

I can remember many years ago, when I was about 17 or 18, being taken to task by two elderly men for arguing that it was a good idea to consult other versions of the Bible besides the Authorised Version. Those smoothly pious men got nasty and were abusive. They sneered, "You're only a slip of a boy and what do you know."

Whenever Christians hate those they disagree with violence ensues. The sectarian violence in Northern Ireland is just one instance of that. I think abortion on demand is wicked. I believe a church should exclude from membership gynaecologists who practice wholesale abortion. But it is wrong to hate them so much you shoot them!

We need to watch ourselves whenever we become unreasonable, abusive and violent in speech and manner. At such times there are many things we can put to death. We can lose the respect, confidence and trust of others.

We should also try and follow the example of Jesus who was not intimidated, cowed or silenced by the tactics of his opponents.

(F) Why did the Jews reject the truth?

I think the 'they' of verse 33 were the opponents of Jesus and not the believers whom he had been addressing. Jesus was surrounded by a very diverse audience. His enemies had not gone away. It is inconceivable that those who had faith in him would wish to kill him. So I am sure it was his Jewish enemies who butted in after Jesus had said, "The truth will set you free", with the comment, "We are Abraham's descendants and have never been slaves of anyone." v33.

Why were the Jews so opposed to Christ's truth? The passage identifies four reasons:

(1) Racism - pride in being Jews.

The Jews were quick to tell Jesus after he had promised to set his disciples free: "We are Abraham's descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say we shall be set free." v33.

So, in spite of being occupied by Romans and under the heel of the Emperor the Jewish leaders considered themselves a free people. How could they consider themselves free? Doubtless they consider themselves free spirits, free to practice their religion and unwilling to compromise over that. The Jews were proud that they had overcome all their oppressors from the Egyptians to the Greeks and they had every confidence that one day the Roman yoke would be thrown off too. The patriotic Jews were a bit like the British who sing defiantly: Britons never, never, never shall be slaves.

Denominational pride is little better than pride of race. I think it very unwise to be proud to be Baptists, Anglicans, Roman Catholics, Brethren or even Reformed. Jesus does not have a special, exclusive corner for Grace Baptists at the Great Banquet. The only ones who will sit down to the marriage feast of the Lamb are the children of God. The only qualification for becoming a son of God and joint heir of Jesus is belief in him - the one God sent.

(2) The lack of Abraham's spiritual discernment and faith.

Jesus told the Jews: "If you were Abraham's children, then you would do the things Abraham did." v39. Later he asserted: "Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad." v56.

Perhaps Jesus was thinking of the remarkable insight and faith Abraham showed when asked by his son Isaac on Mount Moriah: "Where is the lamb for the burnt offering." Abraham answered, "God him self will provide the lamb for the burnt offering my son." Gen22v7and8. The Jews did not understand the vital need for God's provision. They thought God was bound to recognise and reward their good works. Abraham relied on God's grace. His experience gave rise to the expression: "On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided." In the end it was - on a hill called Calvary the Lamb of God took away the sins of the whole world.

The Jews did not live up to their name as sons of Abraham. It is a very sad thing not to live up to our name. I am afraid that some who make much of being saved by grace do not show much grace to others.

(3) Satan was their father.

The Jewish opponents of Jesus were in thrall to Satan. They were his instruments. The special virulence of their hatred owed much to the bitter enemy of both God and man. Jesus told the Jewish leaders bluntly: "You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding the truth, for there is no truth in him." v44.

Satan was both a liar and murderer in the Garden of Eden. His audacious untruth, "Ye shall not surely die" contributed to our fall and the subsequent death of all mankind. Satan wants to destroy the good and distort the truth. He it is that introduces persistent errors into Christianity, instigates disagreements, dissent and schism and works untiringly to weaken the witness of the church. He is the Great Spoiler.

(4) They did not belong to God.

The Jews were goaded into claiming: "The only Father we have is God himself." v41. Jesus responded: "He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God." v42.

The Jewish leaders were just like Paul before his conversion: As for legalistic righteousness faultless. Phil3v6. But like him they were in ignorance of God.

It is possible to be very religious - zealous for God - without belonging to him. This remains true in Christian churches dominated by legalism. People can love the rules, rituals and traditions of their church without loving God or his Son. Paul said of the rules and ceremonies of Judaism: I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ - the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. Phil3v9to11.

All those who preach some other gospel are wolves in sheep's clothing and the deadliest enemies of the church.

Last week I took my car to Trevor my mechanic and prepared to walk home. However, Ray was in the workshop waiting for a tyre to be changed and he offered to give me a lift back to Bury St Edmunds. Ray had relatives in the village of Brockley where I grew up. He said, "Uncle Perce put me off paying visits to Brockley." One Sunday Perce caught him by the ear as he was kicking a football about and gave him a lecture on 'keeping the Sabbath'. 'Keeping the Sabbath' - the Jewish day of rest - was very much part of Perce's Christianity! Ray said to me, with more than a hint of rancour, that his Uncle Perce may have been a good Christian on Sunday but he was that cross-grained, foul mouthed and bad tempered he didn't make much of a fist of it the rest of the week. I knew Perce and that is not altogether true - he was hard working and generous - but nevertheless I doubt whether he loved the God of grace.

(G) How Jesus dealt with his opponents.

Jesus words to the Jews are:

(1) Challenging.

Nobody before or since, with any sort of reputation for integrity, has spoken like Jesus. He was unlike the prophets who came with God's word. He was God's Word. Jesus could say: "Verily, verily, I say unto you .... ."

Jesus was sure of his special status and said: "My decisions are right, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father who sent me. .... I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father who sent me." vs17and18.

Jesus challenges all men because they must decide whether his claims are true or untrue. We cannot treat Jesus like one of many religious teachers and pick and choose some of the things he said to live by and not others. Jesus forces us to make up our minds about who he is. He is either the one he claimed to be and we must accept all he said and try and obey him or he is a deluded charlatan and we are under no obligation to do anything he taught. It is this stark choice which makes the passage we are studying so disturbing.

(2) Confrontational.

Jesus was never conciliatory towards his Jewish opponents unlike the great apostle Paul. See exposition on Acts28v11to31. Jesus didn't tone down his message to make it more acceptable. There were no soft and soothing words. He didn't massage bruised egos. Instead Jesus spoke the truth he knew would inflame Jewish passions.

My dear Father often advised me to be 'as wise as a serpent and as harmless as a dove' - echoing the advice of Jesus to his disciples. See Mt10v16. He hoped that I would be less confrontational in my preaching! I don't suppose I have heeded Jesus' advice. But then he could hardly want one of his followers to compromise the truth.

(3) Condemnatory.

Jesus did not make any excuses for the Jews. He condemned them for their unbelief in rejecting him. They were neither children of Abraham or sons of God but slaves to sins and tools of Satan.

All those humane, nice people in the world who reject Jesus are also under condemnation. Jesus says to all his opponents: "I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge." v50.

(4) Courageous

In the end Jesus spoke the words that put him in imminent danger of death: "Before Abraham was born, I AM. v58. He barely escaped stoning.

I wonder if our preaching, teaching and witnessing is ever like that of Jesus - challenging, confrontational, condemnatory and courageous. Do we just tell people what they want to hear? Are we preaching and witnessing to be popular? It is important as a preacher to bring assurance, comfort and encouragement but there are times we need to speak the truth fearlessly and bluntly, truth that challenges, confronts and condemns. It is then we need courage. When I was on holiday I attended a Baptist church on the north coast of Norfolk. In the morning service the assistant pastor rebuked the members of the church for sulking when they could not get their own way. That required courage. Virtually no-one turned up for the evening service!!!