Message from Sunday June 8, 2025

“Marks of a True Disciple” – John 8:31-59

Introduction:

• We live in a world surrounded by ‘counterfeits’…money, paintings, AI deepfake etc. How do we detect counterfeit from real?
• An article from May 2024 I found interesting…it spoke of a Swiss Art Recognition Company who were investigating paintings that were being sold on eBay. They found over 40 fake paintings (from Monet to Van Gogh) and the director of the company said: “Everything that we have analyzed turns out to be not real art, a negative probability with 95 per cent or so. I’m sure that this is just the tip of the iceberg.”eBay has a ‘no fake policy’….
• Now when it comes to a ‘person’…no one likes to be called a counterfeit! But just like light exposes the darkness, Jesus exposes what is genuine from what is counterfeit! And I believe we are seeing this as we work through these verses together.
• Here we have, what I am calling, the “Marks of a True Disciple” as Jesus dialogs with these so-called ‘believing’ Jews.

1. A True Disciple… Experiences True Freedom

Read verse 31…

Back in verse 30 we know that “many” had believed in Him. “Belief in Jesus as Messiah and the Son of God”, as MacArthur points out, “is the first step in progressing towards true discipleship”. Now we know there is a difference between verses 30 and 31 and we do not want to read more into this than we ought, but it is suffice to say that as Jesus begins to speak with these ‘believing’ Jews, we see if they are ‘truly’ His disciples or, as in John 2:23, they are only believing because of the ‘signs’.

So, what would be the EVIDENCE that they were TRULY disciples and followers of Jesus as the Son of God? Verse 31…

1. Abide in Him – this is not a mere ‘admiration’ of Jesus and what He said. No – this is a ‘remaining’ and a ‘resting’ in His Word and in who He is. We see this later in verse 51 “if anyone keeps my word”. The Jews were sticklers for the ‘letter of the law’ and trying to ‘keep’ every jot and tittle.  As Jesus pointed out in 5:39-40…..[read]…this was the evidence if they had truly believed!  Would they persevere and hold fast to His Word and not waiver from it? The issue was this – they did not believe ‘his word’ had come from God and therefore came with authority!
   • Jesus’ words are not a ‘take it or leave it’ – it is a matter of life and death!
   • True discipleship must show that we have an unwavering and uncompromising obedience to Jesus and His Word.
2. Know the Truth – someone has said that ‘Man’s greatest need is to know what is his greatest need’. And it is clear from the response of these Jews that they did not comprehend the truth or their greatest need! [Read v.33] You can see the chest rising…we are not in bondage to anyone! We don’t need to be free!! But had they forgotten their history? Where they came from? They were a people who had been brought ‘out of slavery’ in Egypt…they went through the Exodus…they were then given over to foreign nations and held captive for many years! Maybe they were experiencing some ‘ancestorial dementia’! But no! It was much greater than this and they didn’t even realize it! They were in bondage to a much great enemy, one we ALL are in bondage to, and this is SIN! [v.34]
   • This was the ‘habitual’ practice of disobedience to word of Christ. And this is what brings Slavery and not Sonship! Jesus uses this analogy of the Slave and the Son as a prime example of what FREEDOM truly looks like! The person who continues in their sin is like a slave moving from house to house.  He does not “remain forever” (v.35) because he is just sold from one slave master to another! Therefore, he is never truly free!
   • Bunyan in Pilgrims Progress…It is only when he enters the Wicket Gate that he finds Christ – the only burden, sin bearer!
   • “The liberator of our bondage must come from outside the ranks of enslaved humanity” (Tasker)
   • Romans 8:2… “for the law of the spirit of life which is in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death”!
   • Christ (the Son) sets you free (v.36) “if the Son” (command/call) “you will be free” (promise) – and free “indeed” (truly, completely).
   • Have you experienced this true freedom in Christ? If you have, then continue to walk in this freedom and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery! (Gal. 5:1)
   • But…Christ’s words found “no place” in them! They could not be ‘truly free’!

And as Jesus points out in verse 38, the reason they were not truly free is because they were listening to the wrong father!!

2. A True Disciple…Listens to a True Father

It was maybe at this point the rest of the crowd started singing: ‘Father Abraham had many sons, many sons had father Abraham. I am one of them and so are you, so let’s all praise the Lord…’ but could they?

They made the claim here (v.39) that their father was Abraham. For sure they were his descendants, but his children?!? Jesus makes it clear that if they were his children, then they would be doing what he did! And what did Abraham do?  Galatians 3:6—9 tells us…

• He believed God
• He believed the promises of God
• He believed in the coming one, sent from God, to redeem His people.

They weren’t even listening to father Abraham! Even Abraham, when he was met by 3 visitors in Genesis 18, welcomed them and wanted to hear what they had to say! These Jews, with the Son of God before them, sought to “kill him” (a righteous man) who had told them nothing but the TRUTH!

• This is no different today…people will believe anything these days but the truth!
• The Truth of who Jesus is (full of grace and truth), Truth of His Word, that He is the Only way to the Father…they can’t handle the Truth…because the Truth hurts!

It was evident they couldn’t handle the truth, because they were listening to a different father.

Now they try and justify themselves… verse 41…they were trying to make out that they were not some illegitimate, half-breeds! Like the Samaritans who believed God but had ‘adulterated’ themselves with other nations and intermarried with them!  And of, course we see this later on when they accuse Jesus of being one of these Samaritans (v.48). But Jesus makes it very clear that they did not truly “know God” v42. And like we saw back in v.19…[read]

And why didn’t they? They didn’t believe He was legitimate! (right at the heart of this passage!)

• They did not LOVE Christ, They did not LISTEN to Christ, and therefore they did not LEARN of Christ!
• They were BLIND [Read v.23]
• They heard want they wanted to hear, or could hear. And the reason? [Read v.44]

What an indictment! For Jesus exposed who they really belonged to… “are of”… The Devil: Murderer from the Beginning, Doesn’t stand in the truth, No truth in him (his own nature), Father of lies. And he is still up to his same tricks!! But will you choose to listen and believe the voice of truth?

Jesus spoke the TRUTH, but they did not believe Him. If they were “of God” (v.47) they would hear and believe Christ who has come from the Father.

Yes, a True Disciple listens to a True Father.

3. A True Disciple…Walks in a True Faith

As these ‘believing’ Jews continue to be confronted with TRUTH and the claims of Christ, they are more indignant as they answer Jesus [Read verse 48]. This is nothing new of course, as back in Ch 7:20 they accuse him of having a ‘demon’.  And we ask – Why?

• “For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh”
• This is what they truly thought of Jesus – as in other Gospels – he was accused of being the ‘prince of Beelzebub (demons)’. They were calling Good Evil and Evil Good!
• And they were meant to have believed? It was certainly not a living, saving, true faith by any means!
• “My faith has found a resting place…” (Hymn)

Jesus went on to tell them (v.49 on) that it was impossible to honour the Father without honouring the Son. So Jesus reiterates again, like in verse 31, what a true disciple will look like [Read v.51]. “If you…” is the CONDITION and here is the PROMISE… “never see death”.

• Now this really takes the biscuit with them!!
• Abraham and the Prophets died, from Zech. Prophecy… “do they [prophets] live forever?”
• How can this man say we won’t even ‘taste’ death?
• But they couldn’t grasp that Jesus was speaking of ‘Spiritual Death’ – the one that kills the soul. And there would be only ONE WAY of escape from this – READ John 5:24
• The sad reality is that Jesus knew they hadn’t! [v.55]

Even Abraham had experienced it, for he “rejoiced” [v.56] at the Promise and Prospect of the coming Messiah! We believe he saw the ‘Day of Salvation’ as the ‘Day of Christ’. And how did he see it?  By Faith! Hebrews 11:13

These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted       them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth

Now Jesus brings the weight of all these claims to bear upon them in this final ‘crescendo’ in verse 58 where He affirms His divine Sonship (equal with God)…“before Abraham was, I AM”.

• Not only was Jesus revealing his Pre-existence LONG before Abraham but also His Purpose – to RESCUE His people. But how did they respond? [v.59]
• This showed what was really in their hearts – they were counterfeits!
• Jesus “went out from them” (it wasn’t His time!) and as Augustine comments: ‘As man he flees from the stones, but woe to those from whose hearts-of-stone God flees’.

Is your life marked as a True Disciple of Jesus Christ?  It will be one:

1. Experiences True Freedom
2. Listens to a True Father
3. Walks in a True Faith

Not to pick up a stone to hurl at Christ, but that will lay it down at feet of Christ and go and sin no more!

Timothy Condy