John – God Speaks!This can be a tough, seemingly redundant passage, but Jesus has a tough crowd of unbelievers to address. This chapter began with a woman brought out into the streets to be stoned for her sin of adultery. At the end of this discourse Jesus is threatened to be stoned for his claim to be the Son of God.
John 8, New Living Translation
The Unbelieving People Warned
21 Later Jesus said to them again, “I am going away. You will search for me but will die in your sin. You cannot come where I am going.”
22 The people asked, “Is he planning to commit suicide? What does he mean, ‘You cannot come where I am going’?”
23 Jesus continued, “You are from below; I am from above. You belong to this world; I do not. 24 That is why I said that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am who I claim to be, you will die in your sins.”
25 “Who are you?” they demanded.
Jesus replied, “The one I have always claimed to be. 26 I have much to say about you and much to condemn, but I won’t. For I say only what I have heard from the one who sent me, and he is completely truthful.” 27 But they still didn’t understand that he was talking about his Father.28 So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man on the cross, then you will understand that I am he. I do nothing on my own but say only what the Father taught me. 29 And the one who sent me is with me—he has not deserted me. For I always do what pleases him.” 30 Then many who heard him say these things believed in him.
Jesus and Abraham
31 Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. 32 And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”33 “But we are descendants of Abraham,” they said. “We have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean, ‘You will be set free’?”
34 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin. 35 A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free. 37 Yes, I realize that you are descendants of Abraham. And yet some of you are trying to kill me because there’s no room in your hearts for my message. 38 I am telling you what I saw when I was with my Father. But you are following the advice of your father.”
39 “Our father is Abraham!” they declared.
“No,” Jesus replied, “for if you were really the children of Abraham, you would follow his example. 40 Instead, you are trying to kill me because I told you the truth, which I heard from God. Abraham never did such a thing. 41 No, you are imitating your real father.”
They replied, “We aren’t illegitimate children! God himself is our true Father.”
42 Jesus told them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, because I have come to you from God. I am not here on my own, but he sent me. 43 Why can’t you understand what I am saying? It’s because you can’t even hear me! 44 For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 So when I tell the truth, you just naturally don’t believe me! 46 Which of you can truthfully accuse me of sin? And since I am telling you the truth, why don’t you believe me? 47 Anyone who belongs to God listens gladly to the words of God. But you don’t listen because you don’t belong to God.”
48 The people retorted, “You Samaritan devil! Didn’t we say all along that you were possessed by a demon?”
49 “No,” Jesus said, “I have no demon in me. For I honor my Father—and you dishonor me. 50 And though I have no wish to glorify myself, God is going to glorify me. He is the true judge. 51 I tell you the truth, anyone who obeys my teaching will never die!”
52 The people said, “Now we know you are possessed by a demon. Even Abraham and the prophets died, but you say, ‘Anyone who obeys my teaching will never die!’ 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?”
54 Jesus answered, “If I want glory for myself, it doesn’t count. But it is my Father who will glorify me. You say, ‘He is our God,’ 55 but you don’t even know him. I know him. If I said otherwise, I would be as great a liar as you! But I do know him and obey him. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced as he looked forward to my coming. He saw it and was glad.”57 The people said, “You aren’t even fifty years old. How can you say you have seen Abraham?”
58 Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I am! 59 At that point they picked up stones to throw at him. But Jesus was hidden from them and left the Temple.
WHAT DO WE LEARN FROM JESUS?“You are from below; I am from above. You belong to this world; I do not. 24 That is why I said that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am who I claim to be, you will die in your sins.”
“I say only what I have heard from the one who sent me, and he is completely truthful.”
“I do nothing on my own but say only what the Father taught me.”
“And the one who sent me is with me—he has not deserted me. For I always do what pleases him.”
“You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. 32 And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
“I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin. 35 A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever.”
“If God were your Father, you would love me, because I have come to you from God. I am not here on my own, but he sent me.”
Jesus tells us who the devil, the fallen angel is in very clear language. “He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
“You say, ‘He is our God,’ 55 but you don’t even know him. I know him.”
“I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I am!”
His statement found in John 8:58 can be translated, “Before Abraham came into being, I Am.” Again, this was another affirmation of His divine sonship, and the Jewish leaders received it as such. He had once again made Himself equal with God (John 5:18), and this was the sin of blasphemy, worthy of death (Lev. 24:16). Jesus was divinely protected and simply walked away. His hour had not yet come. We cannot help but admire His courage as He presented the truth and invited blind religious men to trust Him and be set free. The most difficult people to win to the Savior are those who do not realize that they have a need. They are under the condemnation of God, yet they trust their religion to save them. They are walking in the darkness and not following the light of life. They are sharing a “living death” because of their bondage to sin, and, in spite of their religious deeds, they are dishonoring the Father and the Son. These are the people who crucified Jesus Christ, and Jesus called them the children of the devil.
Whose child are you? Is God your Father because you have received Jesus Christ into your life (John 1:12–13)? Or is Satan your father because you are depending on a counterfeit righteousness, a “works righteousness,” not the righteousness that comes through faith in Jesus Christ?
If God is your Father, then heaven is your home. If He is not your Father, then hell is your destiny.
It is truly a matter of life or death! Dear Heavenly Father,
You are God and we are not. You created us. You know all there is to know about us. There is nothing hidden from you. And yet, while we were yet sinners, Christ, Your Son, died for our sins. Jesus, You took our place for the punishment we well deserve. Your love for us is more than we can imagine. But you do love us. Your only desire is for us to love you back and to love each other the way you love us. I say yes! I love you with all my heart, mind and soul. I love all who love me but I also love those who do not and pray that they will believe in you before it is too late.
In Jesus Name, Amen
To “follow” the Lord Jesus means to believe on Him, to trust Him, and the results are life and light for the believer. The unsaved are walking in darkness because they love darkness (John 3:17.). One of the major messages in this gospel is that the spiritual light is now shining, but people cannot comprehend it— and they try to put it out (John 1:4–5). 
12 Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”
14 Jesus told them, “These claims are valid even though I make them about myself. For I know where I came from and where I am going, but you don’t know this about me. 15 You judge me by human standards, but I do not judge anyone. 16 And if I did, my judgment would be correct in every respect because I am not alone. The Father who sent me is with me. 17 Your own law says that if two people agree about something, their witness is accepted as fact. 18 I am one witness, and my Father who sent me is the other.”
THINK ABOUT IT…
The religious elite, the learned, pious leaders of the community have bee bested by Jesus’s words and demeanor every time they encounter him. They talk doctrine and He talks salvation. They talk adhering to rules beyond The Law and He talks of the true intent of The Law of love, mercy and grace. They cannot seem to trap Jesus with words, so it’s time to down and dirty by demoralizing a woman and throwing her at the feet of Jesus as He is teaching!
I’m wondering…are these words from Jesus spoken earlier, in the cover of darkness, going through Nicodemus’ mind while watching this woman, used as bait, in this grand scheme? 
9 When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. 10 Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”
We do not know what He wrote on the dirt floor of the temple. Was He simply reminding them that the Ten Commandments had been originally written “with the finger of God” and that He is God? Or was He perhaps reminding them of the warning in Jeremiah 17:13? 
The woman, trembling, is waiting for the condemnation of Jesus. 
Warren Wiersbe relates, “we must not misinterpret this event to mean that Jesus was “easy on sin” or that He contradicted the law. For Jesus to forgive this woman meant that He had to one day die for her sins.”
We are going to dive right into the heart of this story about God and what He did and still does to redeem us daily. Because sometimes, and I do it myself, we continue to stone ourselves with rocks of self doubt, worry, guilt and generally thinking we will never be good enough. We get up from our altars of prayer for forgiveness and almost immediately we revisit the sin in our thoughts.
I want to take some time to lay down these heavy rocks and lean into what it means to be redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ! We’re going to lay down the jagged stones of guilt that makes us edgy and disagreeable. 
John – God Speaks!
John 7, New Living Translation
Our relationship becomes more intimate as we come to God through Jesus to commune (talk and listen) with Him. We tell him all that is in our hearts He himself created. We listen to all He has to say to us. We follow His best for our lives. He helps us wade through the troubles of this world with wisdom asked for and received. The more we talk, listen and obey the more intimate our relationship becomes. We find also that the closer we abide with him the closer and more intimate our relationships becomes with others.
47 “Have you been led astray, too?” the Pharisees mocked. 48 “Is there a single one of us rulers or Pharisees who believes in him? 49 This foolish crowd follows him, but they are ignorant of the law. God’s curse is on them!” 
You cannot help but feel sorry for the people described in this chapter, people who responded to Jesus in the wrong ways. His half-brothers responded with disbelief, various people responded with debate, and the result was division. Had they willingly received the truth, and had they acted with sincere obedience, they would have ended up at the feet of Jesus, confessing Him as Messiah and Son of God. 
Imagine growing up in a deeply religious family who are at their place of worship “every time the doors are open”. This family probably helps out those in their community, as long as they are part of their community. This family is so devout that they will travel at their own expense to the “big city” to attend religious conventions with other religious families of their faith. The family works hard to obey all the rules. This family believes in doing the right things no matter what. 
Jesus knows their hearts. Jesus also knows the hearts of the crowd and the hearts of the religious elite who are in power. Jesus’ Father knows it is not time to reveal Jesus for Who He really is but speaks through Jesus at the event and at the synagogue. God’s word in Jesus who is the “word made flesh” speaks. Remember that thought.
After this, Jesus traveled around Galilee. He wanted to stay out of Judea, where the Jewish leaders were plotting his death. 2 But soon it was time for the Jewish Festival of Shelters, 3 and Jesus’ brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, where your followers can see your miracles! 4 You can’t become famous if you hide like this! If you can do such wonderful things, show yourself to the world!” 5 For even his brothers didn’t believe in him.
32 When the Pharisees heard that the crowds were whispering such things, they and the leading priests sent Temple guards to arrest Jesus. 33 But Jesus told them, “I will be with you only a little longer. Then I will return to the one who sent me. 34 You will search for me but not find me. And you cannot go where I am going.”
NOTE: Many people in the crowd of festival attenders would not be influenced by the attitude of the religious leaders at Jerusalem. You will note in John 7:20 that “the people” were amazed that anybody would want to kill Jesus! They were not up to date on all the gossip in the city and had to learn the hard way that Jesus was considered a lawbreaker by the officials. 
Children’s minds are not like adult minds. As a former first grade teacher I had to be careful how I explained new concepts because many times what I thought I was saying was not necessarily what they were hearing, picturing and interpreting in their minds. That’s why as teachers we ask many questions to clarify what the students are learning. We want to make sure they “get it” before moving on to the next step in the process.
Jesus is teaching the masses who now followed after being fed in the wilderness with a few fish and loaves of bread, “I AM the Bread of Life. He takes his learners back to the manna days of Moses and God’s people who roamed the desert because of disobedience. Being the Master Teacher he begins with what they already know and tries to take them farther in their thinking. 
22 The next day the crowd that had stayed on the far shore saw that the disciples had taken the only boat, and they realized Jesus had not gone with them. 23 Several boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the Lord had blessed the bread and the people had eaten. 24 So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went across to Capernaum to look for him. 25 They found him on the other side of the lake and asked, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”
35 Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 36 But you haven’t believed in me even though you have seen me. 37 However, those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them. 38 For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will. 
52 Then the people began arguing with each other about what he meant. “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” they asked.
The purpose of the sign was that He might preach the sermon. Again, it was a ministry of “grace and truth” (John 1:17). In grace, our Lord fed the hungry people, but in truth, He gave them the Word of God. They wanted the food but they did not want the truth, and, in the end, most of them abandoned Jesus and refused to walk with Him. He lost His crowd with one sermon! 
The preaching of the Word of God always leads to a sifting of the hearts of the listeners. God draws sinners to the Savior through the power of truth, His Word. Those who reject the Word will reject the Savior. Those who receive the Word will receive the Savior and experience the new birth, eternal life. 
The disciples are in choppy waters, miles from shore, too far to bail and swim, then the Son of God comes walking toward them and they are eager to let Him in the boat with them. He calms the sea. He calls out “Don’t be afraid. I am here!” And immediately they arrive at their destination. 
16 That evening Jesus’ disciples went down to the shore to wait for him. 17 But as darkness fell and Jesus still hadn’t come back, they got into the boat and headed across the lake toward Capernaum. 18 Soon a gale swept down upon them, and the sea grew very rough. 19 They had rowed three or four miles when suddenly they saw Jesus walking on the water toward the boat. They were terrified, 20 but he called out to them, “Don’t be afraid. I am here!” 21 Then they were eager to let him in the boat, and immediately they arrived at their destination!
He makes sick people well! He talks and walks with confidence but not cockiness. His eyes, oh those eyes, when He looks at you. It is as if He can look right into your soul. 
ALL of God’s Word points to this Truth…God loved us and sent His Son to save us. 
19 So Jesus explained, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he is doing. In fact, the Father will show him how to do even greater works than healing this man. Then you will truly be astonished. 21 For just as the Father gives life to those he raises from the dead, so the Son gives life to anyone he wants. 22 In addition, the Father judges no one. Instead, he has given the Son absolute authority to judge, 23 so that everyone will honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Anyone who does not honor the Son is certainly not honoring the Father who sent him.
39 “You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me! 40 Yet you refuse to come to me to receive this life.
Jesus, the Giver of Life. Believe and you will be saved.
7 “I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.”
