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September 10, 2023 Bible Q&A : What Happens After Death
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45 min
September 10, 2023John 8:47-59 Before Abraham Was, I AM
Before Abraham Was, I AM
John 8:47-59
Introduction: The Feast of Tabernacles was a special week for the Jews, a year-end celebration of the harvest. This particular year was filled with excitement. Jesus had come at a feast earlier in the year and healed a man on the Sabbath who had been an invalid for 38 years. Though the Jews missed the point, the message was clear – Jesus had announced deliverance, a new exodus, just as had repeatedly been promised by Isaiah. But instead of rejoicing, the consensus of the leaders was the kill him.
Now Jesus has returned to the final feast of the year. At first it was a private arrival, but in the middle of the feast he began teaching in the temple. On this visit, no miracles are recorded. Instead, Jesus confronts the leaders and the crowds plainly proclaiming himself as God in the flesh who has come to save them from the bondage of the devil.
If you have ever thought that people responded poorly to your attempts to give them the good news of God, spend these few days with Jesus. They hate him and they want to kill him. That alone is a lesson for us. The last words of this section (59) are, “So they picked up stones to throw at him…” And why? Because he said, “Before Abraham was, I AM.”
Three Challenges to Unbelief
“Whoever Is of God, Hears the Words of God”
Verse 47: This is such a striking but simple statement by Jesus. Take a moment to consider these words before we look at the context.
Jesus’ words are very straight forward. They are not hard to understand, but they are also quite judgmental and the Jews felt their impact. It doesn’t matter how much a person proclaims to believe in God or be a follower of God, if that person does not hear the words of God, then he/she is not of God. Consider that from verse 31 through 59, Jesus refers to his word, the word of God, and the truth ten times.
The Jews approach to believing in God is widespread today. These aren’t atheists. These are the most outwardly religious people of that time. Today, millions claim to believe in God and in Jesus. Millions are dedicated to their faith in God. Paul said his Jewish brethren had a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge (Rom. 10:2). Therefore, the plain teaching of Jesus remains: the true test is whether or not a person hears the words of God. If not, they are not of God.
Further, this same person who is zealously religious toward God, but who does not hear the words of God, fits into the category of verse 44. If we are not of God, there is only one other choice; we are following our own desires and therefore of the devil. Consider: people who are looking like believers, even claiming to be believers, are of their father the devil.
Verse 48: Hearing these words, our first thought is that the Jews have simply given up their argument and resorted to name-calling. However, connecting their statement as a reply to verse 47, makes more sense.
Jesus accused the Jews, those who were descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and the promises of being no different than Gentile idolators. If they are without God, they are separated from hope. Of course, if you are these Jews, that is the most outrageous accusation that could be made about them.
Now we understand their reply. To be a Samaritan was to deny to heritage of Israel and follow a perverted form of Judaism. Jesus even told the woman at the well that Samaritan worship was out of ignorance. Any teaching that was against what they perceived to be the truth, was promoted by demons. Of course, that is true if what is being taught is actually false. But Jesus is speaking the truth and they have lived contrary to both the Law and the teaching of Jesus.
Verse 50, 54: “I do not seek my own glory… It is my Father who glorifies me.” This statement seems subtle, but so important. One of the primary reasons these Jews did not follow Jesus is that it would mean giving up their own glory. Position in this life is a major hindrance to coming to Christ. Even Jesus was not seeking his own glory even though he of all people deserved it. He seeks the glory of the Father and therefore it does not matter what he would have to give up to do so.
“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Matt. 16:24).
We must always identify those things in our lives that we want to hold on to so that we do not lose eternal life for the accolades of others. The Father’s glory must be our only concern.
Verse 55: “You say, ‘He is our God.’ But you have not known him.”
Again, Jesus evaluates a true disciple beyond what a person proclaims or the way he identifies himself. They claimed that God was their God. But Jesus said, “You have not known him.” Consider that it doesn’t matter to Jesus that these Jews are well acquainted with the scriptures. It is not that they are ignorant of God, it is that they do not know him.
We must focus on those last words. We would all claim that God is our God, but that is not the same as knowing him. This further urges us to study differently than what has been traditionally done. Cf. Ephesians 3:14-19.
“Before Abraham Was, I AM”
When Jesus said, “If anyone keeps my word, he will never see death,” the Jews immediately called him out as one who was greater than Abraham who died. Jesus replied with two truths that sent them over the edge:
56: “Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” What an amazing statement! Abraham not only realized that one of his offspring would take away death forever and rejoiced over it, but he had now seen that day! This is similar to Moses and Elijah appearing with Jesus at the transfiguration and discussing his upcoming death. It is the same as Jesus telling the Sadducees that “I am of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” meant to these three patriarchs still lived. Abraham was rejoicing that he was now seeing Jesus’ day.
59: “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”
Jesus makes an obvious claim that he is the same God who spoke to Moses at the burning bush. To be the I AM at the burning bush means he is the same God who delivered Israel from bondage and the same God who destroyed Egypt and all the nations who rebelled against him. Yes, this Jesus is that God.
If we finish the OT statement it is even more compelling: “I AM the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” We do not grasp this statement well. It is easy to say Jesus came to the earth, but it is a whole different matter to believe that the God who spoke the worlds into existence had so much concern for our salvation that he personally came to earth. Therefore, consider who we are rejecting when we reject Jesus and his teaching. To make light of any of Jesus’ commands or teachings is to reject the very God who condemned Cain for his sacrifice, kill Nadab and Abihu for their worship, killed Uzzah for touching the ark of the covenant, and three times destroying the nation of Israel in unprecedented brutality by the Assyrians, Babylonians, and Romans.
The Importance of this Lengthy Debate
Let’s stop and give a broad picture observation and application. If you wonder why Jesus continues to debate these Jews in spite of their stubborn unbelief and wicked retorts, consider:
There is always a chance some will be saved, if not in the present moment, in future contemplation of this moment. Once Jesus dies and raises, some of these who are listening may recount this discussion in their minds and turn to God. We must always consider this possibility. Even though your present discussion may seem to be a waste of time, people often relive the conversation in a more sober moment.
Further, one’s life can meet with trials and God can provide other opportunities. Peter spoke of the “day of visitation” that can come long after an initial exposure to truth.
This should remind us of how careful we must be in our demeanor. If Christ is the offense, then fine, it must be. But we must not be the offense (1 Peter 3:15).
Finally, be prepared for the opportunity. Your Bible study is not only for your personal growth. In fact, if you think of your study as something you only do for yourself, you will not grow (Hebrews 5:11-14). Studying to communicate the word is absolutely essential to being a disciple:
By studying in order to teach what you have learned, you are forced to jot down notes and write conclusions and observations. Again, keep in mind the words: “when for the time, you ought to be teachers…”
Studying without the purpose of sharing what you are learning, causes you to forget what you have learned and actually regress in your knowledge.
This is a primary reason for our Bible classes. In a class format, we are give the opportunity to practice communicating what we have learned. The more we state our observations out loud, the better our ability and the more our knowledge is reinforced in our minds. We don’t exist as a church just for us. We are all missionaries.
It keeps us from being slothful and falling away (Heb. 6).
It was everything Jesus was about, and expected his offspring to do the same (Zechariah 3:8-10).
“He Will Never See Death” (51)
Look more carefully at “never see death” (51). In verses 21, 24 Jesus warned the Jews that they were going to die in their sins. Can you imagine anything more horrifying? Our culture has an inordinate fear of death, but for all the wrong reasons. They fear losing this life when they should be fearing the loss of life eternal. If I’m talking to someone who is caught up in a sin, please consider Jesus’ warning about dying in your sins. And please do not think, “Oh I’ll get out of it one day.” You have no idea how deep you are getting. You are far more addicted, for more scarred in your mind than you realize. Getting “out” is not a snap of the fingers.
Now go back to what started this debate with the Jews: “You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.”
Most of us have been very confused by that statement. We tend to think Jesus is talking about freedom from slavery. But the OT picture of freedom in the exodus from Egypt, Assyria, or Babylon is. quite different picture. As humans, we have always been owned, we have always had a master. Few recognize this.
Therefore, it is more than a freedom from something, it is a freedom for something. God is offering us a freedom from a cruel master who only desires to oppress and destroy to a Master who frees us to live. Our God never does anything that is not for our good. Instead of degrading bondage, we have endless service to the God who remembers his covenant and keeps his promises and redeems us from oppression. Satan has never kept a promise he has made. Never.
When we abide in his word, we are considered true disciples who are set free from crippling and degrading sins that ruin our lives. Look around you and observe the ruined lives –– all because of sin.
Conclusion: Throughout this text, Jesus was pleading with the Jews to come to him and escape dying in their sins. He makes the same plea of us today. Don’t be like these Jews.
Berry Kercheville
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38 min
September 10, 2023 Ask and It Will Be Given
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44 min
September 07, 2023 Paul’s Prayer-Ephesians (Part 2)
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45 min
September 03, 2023 Local Church Membership
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40 min
September 03, 2023David and His Dance: A Dangerous Approach to a Holy God
David & His Dance:
A Dangerous Approach to a Holy God
Introduction: “Then David danced before the Lord with all his might; and David was wearing a linen ephod…And as the ark of the Lord came into the city of David, Michal, Saul’s daughter, looked through a window and saw King David leaping and whirling before the Lord…” (2 Sam. 6:14, 16).
Can we learn something from this story? Well, the NT doesn’t talk about dancing in worship, and we don’t have an ark of the covenant, so what can we learn?
The Story of the Ark
The story of the ark actually begins about 60 + years before this time. Picture two milk cows yoked to a crude cart pulling a treasure of the ancient world. The cloth wrappings that normally would have covered this sacred object are missing so that the sun gleams on the gold overlay and the golden wings of the cherubim that stretch over the ark, that under normal circumstances few would ever see, are laid bare.
A huge crowd of Philistine nobles are quietly following the cows in wonder at the miracle that is taking place before their eyes. It is a miracle that is the climax of 7 months of events that had terrorized the Philistine nation.
It started when two wicked priests, sons of Eli the priest and Judge, Hophni and Phinehas, foolishly took the ark of God into battle thinking that it would protect them against the attack of the Philistines at the battle of Shiloh. But Shiloh was destroyed, the priests killed and the ark was captured. The shouts of joy when the ark came into the battle turned to mourning.
When the wife of Phinehas heard of the loss of the ark and the death of her husband and father-in-law, she went into labor and died as her son was being born. Possibly the only righteous person left in this priestly family, in her last breath she named her son Ichabod, “The glory has departed from Israel.” She had more concern for the loss of God’s glory than for her husband.
As was typical of idolators in those days, they took the ark a placed it before their god, Dagon, indicating that Dagon had conquered Yahweh. But to their astonishment, the next morning Dagon had fallen on its face before the ark. They dutifully propped their god up, but the next morning he was fallen again, but this time, with his head and hands cut off. No Dagon, you have no brain and no strength.
Over the next seven months the Philistines moved the ark from one city to the next in order to avoid the plagues God brought. Again the rejoicing over the capture of the ark turned to mourning.
The Philistines finally decided that the Lord must be the cause. To prove their theory, they took two cows who had just given birth and never been yoked, and hitched them to a new cart carrying the ark. Under normal conditions, such cows would have rebelled under the yoke and returned to their calves. But not this time. Lowing pitifully, the cows dragged their burden straight toward the border of Israel. And as the cart crossed the border, with a host of Philistine leaders watching, we are reminded that God did not need to be rescued by the Israelites. He was quite capable of bringing His ark back home.
Now consider the Israelites in the city of Beth Shemesh. Suddenly the hard work of the harvest was forgotten as the shouts of joy could be heard through the valley – the ark of the covenant had come home. In thanksgiving, the men immediately built an altar and sacrificed the cows to the Lord. What a sight it was; the ark of the covenant. No one but the priests had ever seen it. In their excitement, at least 70 men opened the ark and looked inside. Instantly they were dead and the rejoicing turned to mourning.
The response of the men of Beth Shemesh was not much different from the Philistines. They said, “Who can stand before this holy God and where can we send it?” So the men of Kiriath-Jearim came and took the ark and put it in the house of Abinadab where his son took charge of it. The nation was completely bewildered and for the next 60 years, until the time of David, they lamented after the Lord.
After David became king he conquered Jerusalem and prepared a tabernacle in order to re-establish worship in Israel. The ark was summoned from the house of Abinadab, a new cart was prepared, and Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab drove the cart. Again there was great rejoicing as David and all the house of Israel danced and sang and played music before the Lord. But just as had happened years before, the rejoicing was quickly turned to shock and silence. As the oxen pulled the cart, they stumbled and the ark rocked. Instinctively, Uzzah grabbed the ark to steady it. In a moment he was dead, struck down by the Lord. Again the nation was bewildered. David’s great project had ended in tragedy.
David was so angry at the Lord that he sent the ark to the house of Obed-Edom where it stayed 3 months. But to his surprise, God blessed the house of Obed-Edom which caused David to take a closer look at what went wrong. After learning God’s instructions for moving the ark, David called the Levites, who carried the ark on their shoulders into Jerusalem. David and the people again rejoiced and danced before the Lord. As David danced wearing a linen ephod, his wife Michal looked out a window and saw David dancing and she despised him in her heart. God was obviously displeased with her as the scripture says she was barren till her death.
Coming into the Presence of a Holy God
It matters how we worship God.
This has always been the character of God, whether in Old or New Testaments. I realize that most people cannot understand that God would be “picky” about the way people worship him – after all, they’re worshiping, right?
Here are three principles that are not understood when the above argument is made:
First, we must respect that God is God, and it is blasphemous to put ourselves in his position (that is where Eve went wrong). Israel was told to build a tabernacle so that God could dwell in their midst. Then he warned: “See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you in the mount” (Cf. Hebrews 8:5). The tabernacle was a “pattern” that reflected the actual holy place in heaven. If we want him to dwell in our presence (blessings), we will respect what it means to approach his holy place.
Second, God hated all man-made worship (Cf. Mark 7:6-9). Man-made worship is always idolatry and disrespects the ways of God because it reflects human desires and the imaginations of humans instead of God. When Israel worshiped God on the high places, he hated it.
Third, there is more to worship than being sincere and zealous. David showed great zeal, as did Israel, but it was not according to knowledge – the proper way to approach God (1 Chronicles 15:12-13; Romans 10:1-2.
Worshiping God is dangerous. When David brought the ark in the first time, he did so in complete ignorance. Here is the danger when every generation does not go back to the word of God and study fresh without consideration of the traditions established by the previous generation. The ark had been carted around the countryside off and on and housed for many years so that a generation arose that had no idea that God had legislated transporting the ark. In 1 Chron. 15:12, David admits his error – notice the words, “we did not seek the Lord according to the rule.”
Do we appreciate the seriousness of why Uzzah died when he took hold of the ark? Consider, he died because of what we would call a “minor infraction!” But it isn’t minor. Please realize that the ark entering Jerusalem represents the holy God, King of the universe, coming into their presence. No human can approach him however they desire. But this is exactly what goes on today. The scriptures have just introduced us to the God most do not want to believe in.
This is why it is utter foolishness when a Christian suggests that God wouldn’t condemn us for something minor like musical instruments or taking the Lord’s Supper on a different day, etc. The problem today is that many neither seek the Lord’s words concerning serving him nor believe it matters. The primary sin of Uzzah, David, and the priests and Levites.
Serving and worshiping the Lord must include zeal and passion. “And David danced before the Lord with all his might” (2 Sam. 6:14).
Worship has one “audience” and that is God. Our thoughts and minds are to be directed toward him and the building up of one another. Whether it was the first or second time the ark was brought into Jerusalem, David still worshiped with “all his might.”
That brings up a simple question for us. Is our worship in a Bible class, during the Lord’s Supper, singing, praying, giving, or worshiping during a sermon, are we doing it with all our might? It is the first commandment – to love God with all our heart, soul, and might (Deut. 6:5).
David and his linen ephod: Michal condemned David for dressing in such a common fashion and lowering himself to dance and rejoice with the common people as the ark was being brought into Jerusalem.
Did you notice David’s reply? “It was before the Lord … and I will celebrate before the Lord. I will make myself yet more contemptible than this, and I will be abased in your eyes. But by the female servants of whom you have spoken, by them I shall be held in honor” (2 Sam. 6:21-22).
David didn’t have the attitude that he needed to “dress his best” wearing his kingly garments and outshine all the common people. David knew that when he was before the Lord, he was a nobody. He knew that “poor in spirit” was the way he needed to approach God. God is the one he needed to honor, not himself. (This is not to imply there is something wrong with dressing nicely for worship – but I remember a time when Christians judged one another and even visitors by how they dressed, and thus were unknowingly exalting themselves and judging others.)
Why was Michal in that window instead of with the rest of Israel rejoicing and bringing the ark into the city?
Michal was just like her father. Worship is nothing but a ritual. Since the ark coming into Jerusalem was not part of the required “ritual,” Michal sees no reason to be a part. After all, where did the law say she had to participate in the ark celebration?
There is a second more significant reason. Michal isn’t impressed with God. Michal is so accustomed to worship being a ceremony by which God is appeased, that she has lost any passion to truly seek to know God.
David expressed the reason for worship in Psalm 42, “As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?”
And in Psalm 63:1-4, “O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands.”
Do you spend time with your wife or husband because he or she requires it? Wouldn’t that be sad? “Honey, I’d really rather be doing something else, but since I married you I know I should hang out with you.” Who would be happy to hear their spouse say, “Don’t you think spending three hours a week together is enough? I mean, really, I have a lot of other responsibilities and there are a lot of other things in life that interest me.”
Conclusion: Have we lost our fear of the Lord? Have we lost our zeal? “Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man” (Ecclesiastes 12:13).
Berry Kercheville
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34 min
September 03, 2023 Judge Not…
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46 min
August 30, 2023 Paul’s Prayer- Ephesians
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45 min
August 27, 2023 Bible Questions and Answers – Part 2
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49 min
August 27, 2023 John 8:37-47 Who Is Your Father?
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38 min