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Our study here in John chapters 7 and 8 has taken us into the temple area during the Feast of Tabernacles. We’ve witnessed Jesus teaching the people and watched as the Jews have challenged Him on basically everything He’s said. Being the master teacher that He is...we’ve been amazed at how He’s been able to take elements from the festival celebration and use them to magnify His mission and ministry.

Today we’ll see Jesus challenge the very things that the religious leaders are relying on for entrance into God’s forever Kingdom. The Jews were being led by the religious leaders to place their hope in their ancestry and traditions drawn from the Law of Moses. But Jesus is going to challenge the source of their hope and introduce them to the truth that sets men free.

The same can be said of you and me this morning: if we rely on anyone or anything other than Jesus for our access into heaven, we will be forever disappointed. As we examine this passage of Scripture, I want to give you 3 statements that I hope will help us better understand what Jesus is saying.

1. The foundation of freedom. [8:31-34]

In these first 3 verses you will see there is a distinction being made between the disciples of Jesus and the descendants of Abraham. The thing that’s important here I believe is this: the distinction is not in the physical realm, it’s in the spiritual.

John tells us that there are some Jews believing in what Jesus is saying. It’s to them that Jesus makes this penetrating statement, “If you hold to My teaching, you are My disciples. Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” You might be thinking, ‘what’s so challenging about that statement?’

If you will look at verse 33, it sheds some light on what Jesus is saying here and where He’s headed. Jesus knew that the Jews were relying on their national heritage and traditions for their hope of being apart of God’s forever Kingdom. They had taken verses like Deut. 14:2, “You are a holy people to the Lord your God. Out of all the peoples on the face of earth, the Lord has chosen you to be His treasured possession,” to be their guarantee. 

The problem Jesus is pointing out here is this: just being a descendant of Abraham doesn’t assure salvation, obedient faith in God is required. That’s the foundation of freedom. Paul said in Romans 2:28, “A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly...a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly. Paul is simply saying the righteous will live by faith; a faith in God that is accompanied by personal obedience.

John says in 14:6 that Jesus is the truth. Not only is He the truth, but, He’s the only way to the Father. I’m afraid there are some people who have put their hope of heaven in a church membership or the fact that their family has always been active in the church. (They’re more focused on being a descendant of a church family than a disciple of Christ.)

Listen to what Jesus is saying here in John 8:24, ‘If you do not believe that I am the One I claim to be...you will die in your sin.’ Friend your only hope of heaven is in knowing ‘the One who is the truth that sets man free.’ He’s the foundation of freedom.

2. The actions of Abraham. [8:35-40]

Nowhere in Scripture is Abraham pictured as a perfect man. He faced the same temptations in life as you and I do. At times, he didn’t fare very well either. But the Bible does say in Genesis 15:6, “Abraham believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness.” Since then Abraham has been referred to as the ‘father of faith.’

Here in verses 34-40 Jesus is asking the Jews to look at what Abraham did by way of demonstrating personal faith in God and allow his action to be the example they follow. In other words place your hope in being a disciple of faith rather than just a physical descendant.

Jesus illustrates this for them in verses 34-36. He reminds them to think about how slaves or bondservants are viewed in their society. Notice how He frames the illustration: everyone who sins is a slave to sin. They knew everyone was guilty of sin, that’s why they participated in the sacrificial system of the Law. His point is simple: you are a sinner, therefore, you are a slave. A slave has no permanent place in the family. As a slave you‘re subject to the desires of the head of the family. You have no guarantees, no rights, and no inherent privileges. But a son belongs to it forever. If you were a part of the family, your future is fixed. You’re in, you belong.

The question is this, “Can someone who is not a son, ever have a chance of becoming a son?” I’m glad you asked. Look at verse 36, “So—if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” Think about what Jesus is saying here in this verse. If you have been set free from your sin, you are no longer a slave to it. If you’re not a slave, then you can be apart of the family. Now the key to all of this is determining who the Son is that sets a person free from sin. (John 1:10-14, 3:16)

Here’s the point of all of this, Abraham believed God and was made a child of God...by God. Now Jesus is saying to the Jews, ‘If you want to be a true descendant of Abraham, follow his example and believe in the One God has sent’

The actions of the Jews basically said they were not Abraham’s true descendants. What do your actions say about you? Are you setting a Godly example?

3. The deeds of the devil. [8:41-47]

In verse 41 the Jews claim to be the children of God but Jesus says to them, ‘you are doing the things your own father does.’ In other words, the practices of your life don’t match the profession of your mouth. Your practices are more like the deeds of the devil:  

A. Murder—through deception Satan led Adam and Eve into spiritual death.

B. Lying—Satan can’t speak without telling lies.

C. False accusations—Satan prompted the Jews to accuse Jesus of all sorts of things (look at V48).

My hope and prayer is this, ‘the actions and deeds of our lives shout that we are children of God...not the devil.’

Someday our time here on earth will be finished. What are you relying on for access into heaven? Descendant or Disciple? I pray the practices of our life match the profession of our faith.