Believers Shall Never See Death

John 8:45-59

 

INTRO: Those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ shall never see death, spiritually (vs 51).  What is it that we are to believe? There are some fundamentals.  Those who put their faith in Christ, believe that He is:

1. The virgin born Son of God,

2. The sinless Son of God,

3. The Savior, the one who died for our sins,

4. And the risen Christ, the grave could not hold Him.

He is alive, and because He is alive, the believer shall never die.

 

I.        VSS 45-50, THE SINLESS SAVIOR

A.       Vs 45, These Jews would not believe the truth spiritually.  It is truth concerning spiritual matters that they rejected.

1. They rejected the doctrine of total depravity– our natural inability.  “There is none righteous....”

2. They rejected God’s plan of salvation– the death of the Lamb of God– Jesus for sins.  Not works– “For by grace...”

3. They rejected the doctrine of hell for unbelievers.

4. They rejected the doctrine of the bodily resurrection of Christ– an empty tomb.

5. Those who reject the truth believe the lie of the Devil.

B.       Vs 46, “Which of you convinceth me of sin?”  They could not answer.  They could not charge Him and prove the charge.  They couldn’t make it stick.  They had nothing on Him.  If they could have, they would have used it.

1. Jesus had no sin.  He is the sinless Son of God:

a. No flaw– I Pet 2:22, “Who did no sin.....”

b. Undefiled– Heb 7:26.

c. Holy.

2. Because Jesus is the sinless Lamb of God, He was the only substitute for our sins.  The only one who could take our sins, forgive our sins, and cleanse our sins (II Cor 5:21; I Jn 3:5).

3. They did not believe the truth because they were not of God.

C.      Vs 47, The Holy Spirit lives within all believers.  Because of the indwelling Spirit, the believer receives the Word of God with love and devotion.

1. John 10:26 pictures these unbelievers.  “But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep” (Note also vs 27).

2. “He that is of God” means those who are born again, those who are saved, those in the family of God.  Those who love the truth hear the voice of God through the Word of God.  John 18:37 says: “Everyone that is of the truth heareth my voice.”

3. Those who are not of God hate Christ and do not believe His Words.

D.      Vs 48, Burning with anger and unwilling to admit defeat, the Jews sling mud.

1. “Thou art a Samaritan.”

a. This is about as mean a thing as the Jews could possibly said.

b. The Jews and Samaritans were bitter enemies.

c. They were saying that Christ is not a true Jew.  He is a half-breed and despised (4:9).  “The Jews have not dealings with the Samaritans.”

2. “Hast a Devil.”

a. Acting under demonic influence, demon possessed.

b. This would also accuse Jesus of doing things in the power of Satan.  This is blasphemy.

E.       Vs 49, To say that Jesus was a Samaritan and demon possessed dishonored God the Father.

1. Jesus states that He was not demon controlled.

2. Jesus came to honor God the Father, and this is what He was doing.

F.       Vs 50, Jesus did not come to earth as a glory seeker.  He came to honor the Father in heaven, to glorify Him.

1. Jesus did not seek His own glory, but God in heaven looked after Jesus and promised that His name would be above every name (Phil 2:5-11).

2. The one who seeks to glorify Jesus will one day judge those who reject His Son.

a. Those who reject the Word of God will be judged by it (Jn 12:48).

b. Those who have found no place for the Word, no place for Christ, will be eternally separated from God at the Great White Throne judgment (Rev 20:11-15).

II.       VSS 51-55, JESUS DECLARES THAT BELIEVERS SHALL NEVER SEE DEATH

A.       Vs 51, Doom awaits the unbeliever; eternal life awaits the child of God.

1. Those who believe and receive the Word of God will never die spiritually.

2. How you treat the Gospel message determines your eternal home.  “He that hath the Son hath life; He that hath not ....”

a. Those who reject the Gospel will be eternally separated from God.

b. Those who believe the Gospel, receive (keep) it in their hearts have eternal life.

3. “He shall never see death.”

a. The believer is free from the condemnation of spiritual death (6:47; Rm 8:1).

b. Because of the resurrection of Christ, the sting of death has been removed.  We who believe shall live forever (I Cor 15:20-23, 42-44, 51-57).

B.       Vs 52, They thought Jesus was taking about physical death.  The things of God were foolishness to them because they reject the Word of God (I Cor 2:14 “The natural man receiveth not...”).

C.      Vs 53, The words in this verse are similar to those spoken by the bad Samaritan (4:12).

1. The difference between the bad Samaritan and these Jews is that the Samaritan woman trusted Christ.  We find no indication that these Jews ever trusted Christ.

2. “Who do you thing you are?”  They say, as if Christ were glorifying self.

D.      Vs 54, “The glory of a vain pretender or usurper, a braggart or megalomaniac, is empty” (Hendriksen 64).  This is not the group Jesus belongs to.

1. Jesus did not seek to honor Himself, but His Father honored and glorified Jesus, the Son.

2. Ways in which God honored His Son:

a. By sending angels to sing at His birth: “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will toward men” (Lk 2:14).

b. When Jesus was an infant, God directed the wise men to come and worship.

c. At the baptism of Jesus, God the Father proclaimed: “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.”

d. God honored Him at the resurrection by having the angels to proclaim to the women at the tomb: “Why seek ye the living among the dead?  He is not here, but is risen....” (Lk 24:5b,6a).

e. God the Father honored Him as the ascension by seating Him at His right hand in heaven.

f. If God so richly honored His Son, should we not honor Him with our lives?

E.       Vs 55, The unbelieving Jews did not know the one who honored Jesus.

1. They professed to know God, but were lost.

2. Jesus knew Him, but they didn’t.

3. They were religious, but lost (Mt 7:22 “Many will say to me in that day Lord, Lord.....”

 

III.      VSS 56-59, ABRAHAM REJOICED TO SEE THE DAY OF CHRIST

A.       Vs 56, Abraham looked forward in faith to Christ for salvation, just as we look back.

1. Abraham saw Christ’s day:

a. By faith in the promise (Heb 11:10,13,16).

b. When God told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, Abraham was convinced that God could raise Isaac back to life if need be (Heb 11:17-19).  “In offering Isaac on the altar and in receiving him back in figure form the dead, he received a marvelous foreshadowing of the Savior’s death and resurrection” (Pink 56).

2. These unbelieving Jews did not share in Abraham’s joy.

B.       Vs 57, They did not believe in the eternal pre-existence of Christ.

C.      Vs 58, Jesus declares His pre-existence to the Jews. 

1. He is not the “I will be,” or the “I was.”  Jesus is the eternal, “I am.”

2. He is the creator; He is God; He is eternal.

D.      Vs 59, Because He claimed to be exactly who He is, God come in the flesh, they picked up stones around the temple to stone Him for blasphemy.