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Did Jesus Ever Claim to be God? John 8:17-59 Can You Defend the Divinity of Jesus?

The Gospel of John. Did Jesus Ever Claim to be God? John 8:17-59 Can You Defend the Divinity of Jesus?. Granddaughter Kate Smith-born 11/22/11. Our Path For Today’s Session. Review of use of the Pocket Gospels of John Discussion/Testimonies of God’s Work?

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Did Jesus Ever Claim to be God? John 8:17-59 Can You Defend the Divinity of Jesus?

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  1. The Gospel of John Did Jesus Ever Claim to be God? John 8:17-59 Can You Defend the Divinity of Jesus?

  2. Granddaughter Kate Smith-born 11/22/11

  3. Our Path For Today’s Session • Review of use of the Pocket Gospels of John • Discussion/Testimonies of God’s Work? • Observation of John 8:31-58 • Interpretation/Correlation • Application to our lives Let’s All Read John’s Gospel and Give it this Easter Season! http://www.ptl.org/resources/21dc.php

  4. The Purpose and Power of John’s Gospel John 20:30-31 (NLT) 30 The disciples saw Jesus do many other miraculous signs in addition to the ones recorded in this book. 31 But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have [eternal] life by the power of his name.

  5. Our Principles of Sharing • Seek the Spirit’s Leading • Appeal to Their Curiosity and Interests • Recognize Personal Sin for Seeking Salvation • Avoid Tangential Debates about Religion • Plant the Word of God Through the Gospel • Connect Them to a Relationship with Jesus • Know that You will be Refreshed

  6. How did God use You this Week? • Learning any new revelations from the Gospel? • Giving away the Gospel of John? • Telling other believers about this ministry? • Leading someone through the Bridge Illustration? • Being present when the Spirit of God calls someone to adoption in God’s family (John 1:12)?

  7. References for Our Study • The Gospel of John (2003) Feature Film • Based on the Good News Bible • Philip Saville, Director • Henry Ian Cusick as Jesus • John 8:17-58 – Albert Barnes’ Notes on the New Testament - Explanatory and Practical • John 8:17-58– Thru The Bible with Dr. J. Vernon McGee

  8. Jesus and the Jews of Jerusalem Did Jesus ever Claim to be God?

  9. Things to Watch for in the Movie Clip • Jewish religious leaders ask Him who He is • Jesus describes the testimony of His Father • Jesus expounds on spiritual slavery vs. freedom • Jesus identifies the true nature of man • The Jews call him a “Samaritan” and Demonic • They claim to be true offspring of Abraham • Jesus uniquely compares himself to Abraham • The Jews proceed to stone Jesus….why?

  10. So What did You Observe? • Don’t spiritualize • Just describe what happened • Summarize the conversations • Describe Jesus’ major points • Describe the Jew’s counter arguments • What was their final, legal response?

  11. Observations From John 8:17-59 • Who • Jesus and the Jews “who had believed in Him” • What • Slavery and supposed benefits of Abraham’s offspring • When • Around 29 AD after Feast of Tabernacles • Where • At the Temple in Jerusalem • How • Jesus describes himself and the true family of God

  12. Interpretation/Correlation • Content: Define words as needed; Record the results of your previous observations • Context: Read what comes before and after the passage. What lead up to this event? • Comparison: Compare this scripture with other scripture you know or is cross referenced • Culture: Look at the text through the correct cultural viewpoint of the passage • Consultation: Finally, read Bible Commentaries from other gifted believers

  13. Important Cultural Terms • Abraham – Called by God to be the father of the Jewish people leading to the birth of Christ (Genesis 17:15-21) • Testimony – Jewish court system required two or three witnesses to validate a testimony • Messiah - the Anointed, i.e. consecrated as the king and deliverer by God's appointment from the lineage of David • Son of God – “The sonship of Christ denotes his equality with the Father. To call Christ the Son of God is to assert his true and proper divinity.” (Easton’s Bible Dictionary)

  14. The Greek Verb for “ I am” • Greek Word: εἰμί • Transliterated Word: eimi (i-mee’)Root: a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; • Definition: I exist, I am:-- From: New American Standard Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible.

  15. Cross Referenced to Exodus 3:14 (NASB) • God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM"; and He said, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'" • Derived from the Hebrew verb HAYAH which means I AM or I exist • Related to the name of God YHWH (He is) which is not to be pronounced by (orthodox) Jews • Transliterated as Yahweh or LORD in the Bible

  16. Other uses of “I AM” in Chapter 8 John 8:24-25 (NASB) 24 "Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins." 25 So they were saying to Him, "Who are You?" Jesus said to them, "What have I been saying to you from the beginning?

  17. Other uses of “I AM” in Chapter 8 (con’t) John 8:28-29 (NASB) 28 So Jesus said, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me. 29 "And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him."

  18. “Who of You Convicts me of Sin?” (John 8:46) • How would you like to stand up in our congregation and ask that question? • Who would like to ask their spouse to weigh in on that proposition? • Yet Jesus requested it from the Jewish leaders. • Note that none of His enemies could accuse Him of sin (breaking Jewish Law) and have it stick. (Yet, He asked the first without sin….)

  19. What Jesus Said to the Samaritan Woman • John 4:26 (NASB) 4 Jesus *said to her, "I who speak to you am He.“ • John 4:26 (Young's Literal Translation) 4Jesus saith to her, `I am he, who am speaking to thee.' • John 4:26 (NIV) 4Then Jesus declared, "I who speak to you am he."

  20. When the Roman cohort came for Jesus(this was likely 100s of soldiers): John 18:4-6 (NASB) 4 So Jesus, knowing all the things that were coming upon Him, went forth and *said to them, "Whom do you seek?" 5 They answered Him, "Jesus the Nazarene." He *said to them, "I am He." And Judas also, who was betraying Him, was standing with them. 6 So when He said to them, "I am He," they drew back and fell to the ground.

  21. Why John Emphasized Jesus’ Divinity • The Gnostics were deceiving many, even those who believed, with their “divine knowledge” and teaching that Jesus came only in the Spirit not in the flesh; this conflict did not exist earlier • The eyewitnesses of Jesus were dying and John intended to leave a clear eyewitness account to attest to Jesus’ statements of divinity • Our salvation depends on our belief that Jesus, is indeed, as He claimed to be, God’s Son on Earth

  22. Application to Our Life • What did the Holy Spirit bring to mind? • Is there an error in deed or thought for me to be aware of? • Is there a challenge for me to face? • Is there a command for me to obey? • Is there a promise for me to claim? • Is there a sin for me to avoid?

  23. Do You Confess that Jesus is God?Do You Know the Spirit Lives in You? 1 John 4:13-16a (NLT) 13 And God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us. 14 Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 All who confess that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God. 16 We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love.

  24. Jesus Christ’s Claim of Divinity/Exclusivity John 14:6-7 (NASB) Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him."

  25. TABLE GROUP DISCUSSION: • What is new from your study of the Gospel today? • Why do you think Jesus seldom came out and simply said that He was God on earth? • What thoughts have you heard about Christ that are contrary to what John is teaching? • Read Mark 2:1-12 together and analyze what Jesus is objectively saying about Himself. What does this mean for you and me?

  26. Jesus’ Nine “I AM” Statements

  27. If you desire evangelism training… • Evangelism Boot Camp training course at: http://www.ptl.org/resources/bc7.php • The Got Questions team is offering an Evangelism Training Workshop: • April 22 from12:30 - 2:00 pm; Room 1410 • Contact ‘sunny.bender@mcleanbible.org’ • McLean University 301 begins April 15th

  28. Down to Earth Wisdom from J. Vernon • “Faith alone saves, but the faith that saves is not alone. It will produce something. “ • “We are free from the penalty of sin …He doesn't even ask us to live the Christian life. He asks us to trust Him and let Him live His life through us. When we yield to Him, we are free.” • “Many Christians accept defeat and failure as a normal Christian life. God never intended us to live like that. He intends us to live for Him by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

  29. Back Up Slides

  30. Our Sound Approach for Bible Study • Observation—What does the text say? (80%) • Answer: Who, What, When, Where, Why, How • Interpretation—What does the text mean? (15%) • Content, Context, Comparison, Culture, Consultation • Application—How do I apply it to my life? (5%) • Appropriate personal questions to consider. • This step leads to “I” and “my” statements of application.

  31. The Bridge Illustration - Intro to Gospels • Read the Plan of Salvation aloud with the person. • Have them read key verses out loud. • Guide them through the bridge illustration and ask questions, like asking if they have tried some of the ways to reach God that are shown. • If they admit their sins, are ready to believe and receive Christ, then ask them to pray with you. What matters most is not the exact words used but the attitude of the heart.

  32. Test the Religious Spirits Around You 1 John 4:2-3 (NLT) (Ref: John 1:14; 1 John 1:2)2 This is how we know if they have the Spirit of God: If a person claiming to be a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God. 3 But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here.

  33. How Else did Jesus Declare His Divinity? • If you cannot believe what I say then believe what I do….. • Find this verse to share

  34. 1 John 5:1-5 (NLT) 1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has become a child of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves his children, too. 2 We know we love God’s children if we love God and obey his commandments. 3 Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome. 4 For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith. 5 And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.

  35. John’s Purpose in the Holy Spirit • Proclaim Christ’s life, death, and resurrection • Show that Jesus is God’s son - Devine • Show that His salvation is for all people • Leave a eyewitness testimony to His majesty • Put God’s Word in our hands • Testify that Eternal Life is found only in Jesus

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