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By JERRY FIGUEROA Truth That Sets People Free
No one ever wants to hear those words, “You have six months to live” - this is when you are called, “terminally ill”. The end is just a matter of time. But there’s something that’s a whole lot worse, “You’ll die in your sins!” That’s what Jesus told people who didn’t want to believe in Him. He is the light of this world, and He sets people free from sin and the bad habits it brings. But He also makes it real clear what happens to you if you don’t believe. When we talk to our friends about Jesus, we want to talk about the good things the Lord can give us, that He is our life-giving savior. But sometimes we have to talk of Him as our honest judge. When He puts up the death notice, we had better pay attention. We don’t help our friends by avoiding this subject. With some serious praying, we can bring hope and positive news to people who don’t realize how serious being without the Lord, and ultimately death, can be. With the Lord’s help, speaking up can bring someone to eternal (that means forever) salvation. Jesus, The Light Of The World
After Jesus offered Himself to the Jews as the bread of life, He left Capernaum and traveled around Galilee. Then at the Feast of the Tabernacle He went to Jerusalem, even though people were making plans to kill Him (see John 7:1). Of course, all the hatred and rejection directed at Jesus was due to people being in sin (spiritual darkness). The Apostle John later categorized the whole world (people) as being in either light or darkness (good or bad). Sin brings bad habits and not being able to understand God and His Bible. But the weapon against darkness is Jesus, the Christ. Spiritual darkness leads to death, but the light of Jesus brings life. The only way to find light and life is to act on what Jesus offers. To follow Him means to accept His claim to be the gift of light and life, to confess sins against Him, and to trust Him for forgiveness and eternal salvation. Jesus, the Man from Above
Jesus claim to be living water and the light of the world really got some of the religious folks hot. They just couldn’t believe Him claiming to be who He was. Jesus stood by the fact that He was sent by the Father, and that He really was the one and only man from above. This got the Jews even angrier, and they would have killed Him on the spot but some folks still weren’t sure what to believe. Then Jesus let them have it - He gave them their death sentence. They would die because of their sins. It was, and still is, a warning to anyone who goes against and does not believe in Christ. But Jesus knew His days were numbered. So He told the Jews that He was not going to die, but was going to go away. But they still figured that He might kill himself. Then what got them really confused was when He told them that where He went, they could not go, they would never make it to heaven. Death was where they were headed, eternal separation from God. “You cannot come...” is a powerful warning against rejecting Jesus. Let’s be clear why Jesus gave them the death sentence. They would die in their sins, but He offered them life. The only way they could escape this death was to, “believe that I am the one I claim to be.” Everybody is under this death sentence, because of sin, but it’s totally possible to have this sentence thrown out. A pardon from God is possible. The Big Question
Jesus offer to pardon their death sentence on the condition that they believe in Him, caused them to ask: “Who are you? Many believe in Jesus, others thought He was just the carpenter’s son, and others thought He was simply demon-possessed. At this point in time, Jesus didn’t give them any new evidence, He just told them what He had been saying all along, He was from God and had seen the Father. He was sent by the Father and now had the ability to give them their judgment because they didn’t believe. The Big Claim
Even though many people in the crowd of people He was now talking to didn’t understand Him, He continued on with His claim. He was sent by the Father, and did nothing on His own. He wasn’t a teacher from earth, and that there was no other way to hear about God. When we listen to His answer to this people, we understand that He wasn’t just some any ‘ol teacher, that He wasn’t just a nice old man who was starting another religion. No, He came from Heaven and said, “This is it. I am the one. I have the word straight from God.” Of course, Jesus was good, kind, and wise. He loved and healed people, but we totally miss the point if we don’t realize how He came to be, who He was, and what His job here on earth was. The Apostle John tells us that
many people in the crowd finally did get it and put their faith
in Jesus. He realized that some people still had questions and
were looking for more answers before they decided to believe.
He just wanted to encourage them and teach them in their search. Jesus, The Liberator
Jesus knew that faith had to be watered and grown. And those who believed in Him would be hassled by the others - it was a big thing to stop believing in the old religion, and believe in Jesus - He now needed to arm them for battle. After new believers put their faith in Him, they had to grow in Christ’s teachings. To “hold His teachings” means to obey Him. Jesus called these new believers disciples, or learners. Following Jesus is a matter of learning and doing, learning and doing. And eventually, they become like their teacher, their minds, hearts, wills, and behavior becomes like His. Jesus said His teachings was the truth and that it would lead to freedom. “Truth” here means Jesus’ claim to have been sent by the God with a message for the world. Disciples had to keep on believing that Jesus’ words were true. Because His claims are true, Jesus is the only one who gives freedom. We are all held as slaves to sin - we cannot break out of sin’s “prison” on our own. Only Jesus can do this for us. Disciples who are obedient really know what it means to be free of sin’s power and death sentence. Sin Enslaves
So the religious folks were at it again and started another argument with Jesus. They said they were never slaves and as far as religion, they were free to believe as they wanted. And almost as important, they were proud of them being sons of Abraham, so they certainly didn’t need the freedom Jesus talked about. Their blindness was due to their pride. They couldn’t see the need for change in their lives not matter who claims they came from God Himself. It’s pretty sad when people can’t see out of their sins, either because they don’t know it, or don’t want to admit it. Even sadder is when slaves are offered freedom, yet don’t take it. The religious leaders were in no mood to have Jesus call them slaves. He had told them that they would die in their sins because they were slaves to it. This is why people need to hear the facts about Jesus, and then accept His offer of freedom (from guilt and the sentence of eternal death). In the end, being all wrapped up in their sins, the Jewish leaders eventually killed Jesus - they just couldn’t handle His words. They didn't eat His bread, or drink His life-giving water. This story is packed with warnings about the disaster that waits for those who fail to see Jesus as Lord and Savior. Those who refused to believe in Jesus weren’t dumb people, they were some of the most religious and intelligent people in all of Israel. But they were still slaves to sin and doomed to hell. Jesus offered light and freedom; they rejected it. Today, God gives you and me the same choice. He never forces His plan on you, so be sure to make the choice that will genuinely set you free of your sins!
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