Whose Your Daddy

John 8: 42-47

Preparing this sermon I read an account of a curious thing the London butchers use to do. It was a difficult task to drive a flock of sheep through the streets of a large city, where there was little resemblance to green pastures and country roads. The sheep were liable to be scattered in all directions by the crowd of vehicles, and to turn every few blocks down the cross streets, in a way that would sorely try one's patience.

So, when the butcher had purchased a number of sheep at the general market, it was no small matter, even with the help of a dog, to get them to his private yard for slaughter. What could lessen the trouble? A knowledge of the animal's instincts pointed out a method of relief. A sheep was taken and petted till it becomes accustomed to the place, and attached to its owner. It was then used as a decoy, being led to the market-place, where the purchase was made of the little flock for the slaughter, and there placed at their head. The butcher then started for home, the decoy sheep accompanied him, the others instinctively follow, according to sheep-nature, and refuse to be separated, threading their way through streets and lanes, carts and carriages, pleased with following their leader, till they reach the place of death.

As I said, that was according to sheep-nature. But we humans are no so easly fooled, right?Wrong! we see the same device in use all the time by the great enemy of souls. He wouldn't trap so many without a decoy! Fish do not bite the bare hook. Birds will not enter an empty trap-cage. Even sheep do not go wittingly to the slaughter, but must be enticed there. Sinners love sin, but not death, and do not crowd the broad road with any idea that it leads to destruction. Satan has made a study of nature ever since he found our first parents in paradise, and he understands it well. He knows that men, like sheep, are social, and prone to go in groups, after leaders. He shapes his policy accordingly. He wastes little time or work on the common mass, but he takes great pains to train the leaders. One good decoy sheep will lead a thousand flocks to the slaughter.

Liars, murderers, terrorist, good people, nice people, your neighbors and all those who are rebellious reflect the attitude of Satan, even if they act in the name of religion. But wait how can nice people and good people be rebellious? If a person does not know Christ Jesus as Saviour then it doesn't matter how nice or how good they are, they are in rebellion.

Satan prompts men to excesses by which they murder themselves and others, while what he puts into the mind tends to ruin men's souls. He is the great promoter of falsehood of every kind. He is a liar, all his temptations are carried on by his calling evil good, and good evil, and promising freedom in sin. He is the author of all lies; whom liars resemble and obey, with whom all liars shall have their portion for ever. The special lusts of the devil are spiritual wickedness, the lusts of the mind, and corrupt reasonings, pride and envy, wrath and malice, enmity to good, and enticing others to evil. By the truth, here understand the revealed will of God as to the salvation of men by Jesus Christ, the truth Christ was now preaching, and which the Jews opposed. - Matthew Henry Concise Bible Commentary.

John 8:42-47
42 Jesus told them, "If that were so, then you would love me, for 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 is because you are prevented from doing so! 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 and a hater of truth-there is not an iota of truth in him. When he lies, it is perfectly normal; for he is the father of liars. 45 And so when I tell the truth, you just naturally don't believe it!

46 "Which of you can truthfully accuse me of one single sin? [No one!] And since I am telling you the truth, why don't you believe me? 47 Anyone whose Father is God listens gladly to the words of God. Since you don't, it proves you aren't his children."

1. True Disciples Love Christ Jesus (vs. 42)

Christ Jesus boldly proclaimed His relationship to the heavenly Father. He is the Son of God: “I proceeded forth from God.” Ex-er'-khom-ahee this means Christ Jesus' divine origin from the Father. Christ Jesus by the connection of His divine essence is in direct communication with the Father. 

It is because He is God/man come so that all might have a restored relationship with God, that all should be attracted to Him. Christ Jesus is called the beloved, because, being the beloved of the Father, He is certainly the beloved of all Christians, (Eph 1:5-6) He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. 

Christ Jesus was sent of God, as an ambassador to the world of mankind. He did not come of Himself, as the false prophets, who's mission or message was not from God, (Jer 23:21) "I did not send these prophets, But they ran. I did not speak to them, But they prophesied.”

The emphasis here is that He came from God: And all God's children should embrace a messenger sent from their Father with both arms so to speak. But these Jews it appears did not truly love God, as seen by their lack of acceptance for Christ Jesus and His message.

How about you this morning? Will you reject the saving message of Christ Jesus this morning? Or will you finally realize that as God/man He came with a message of hope and restoration for you?

2. True Disciples Resist Satan (vs. 43-46) 
“Why is what I'm saying to you not clear?” This is what Christ Jesus was saying to the religious leaders in verse 43. Christ Jesus' speech was divine and heavenly, but intelligible enough to those who were acquainted with the voice of Christ Jesus in the Old Testament.

These men had made the word of the Creator familiar to them, and so should have not needed a key to understand the Redeemer. Yet these Jews had a strange view of the doctrine of Christ, and tied it into all kinds of knots, creating stumbling blocks for the average Israelite. 

Truth is the opposite of lying and the opposite of heresy. The only possible explanation for the inability of the religious leaders to understand Christ Jesus was that they clung to Satan's lies. They could not climb out of the darkness and into the light that Christ Jesus offered them. (John 1:4-5) In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

Here is the rub – Christ Jesus' truth sails over the heads of some people who admit they have no interest in serving God, but yet they resist the suggestion that they are serving Satan. In verse 44, Christ Jesus says that if you reject His truth and focus on serving yourself, you are deceived by Satan into believing that you are a Child of God when you are not.

It pretty simple math, if you are not a child of God, then you are a child of Satan. Not all people who are Satan's children are wicked. Some are really nice people. But because the do not know Christ Jesus as Lord and Saviour they are children of Satan. This is a pretty serious charge, and it sounds very harsh and horrid, that any one of you, especially those who have grown up in church going families, should be called children of Satan. Look again at verse 44.

In this passage Christ Jesus first asked, “Why can't you understand what I'm saying?” Now He asks, “If I'm telling you the truth, why don't you believe me?”

The religious leaders accused Christ Jesus of some of the worst of crimes-gluttony, drunkenness, blasphemy, sabbath-breaking, agreement with Satan, and so on. But their accusations were malicious groundless lies, and most every one that knew Christ Jesus knew them to be utterly false. Christ Jesus challenged them. They had heard His testimony; could they show any thing in it absurd or unworthy to be believed, any contradiction either of Himself or of the Scriptures, or any corruption of truth or His doctrine?

"Which of you can justly charge me with any thing, in word or deed, unbecoming a prophet?" The answer - none

“If you cannot convict me of error, you must admit that I speak the truth, so why don't you give me credit?” asked Christ Jesus.  

If you would ask someone the reason they do not believe they will give you all kinds of explanations (excuses). But the bottom line is this, people do not believe in Christ Jesus because they are not willing to part with their sins, to deny themselves, and serve God fully and faithfully. When you come right down to it if you are not a Christian, if you refute Christ Jesus as Redeemer, it is because of outright rebellion against your Creator.

This morning is the time to examine your reasons for not accepting the truth of Christ Jesus' message. It is time to resist the lies of Satan. It is time to ask Christ Jesus into your life.

3. True Disciples Belong to the Father (vs. 47)
What makes a true disciple? He or she believes the truth of Christ Jesus and obeys what God says. Why could these skeptics in the audience no hear God's truth? Because they did not belong to God. That is the same reason people do not hear God's truth today.

Believers in Christ Jesus and His message have been transplanted into a new family. You are removed from the family of Satan and transplanted into the family of God. Here in verse 47, John explains why the Bible makes no sense to some people. Only those who have trusted Christ Jesus can grasp the truths of God's Word, believe them, and obey them. If the Word of the kingdom do not bring forth fruit, the blame is to be laid upon the soil, not upon the seed.

Conclusion: When it comes to good, better, or best – who wants to settle for good or even better when you can have the best? Christ Jesus is the best and as God/man He offers you the best life possible if you will only turn from Satan and his lies. Why would God do this for you? Because He loves you. (Romans 5:8-9)  8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. 9 And since by his blood he did all this for us as sinners, how much more will he do for us now that he has declared us not guilty? Now he will save us from all of God's wrath to come.