When Jesus declared, “I am the light of the world,” He confronted darkness, exposed unbelief, and offered life to all who believe. In John 8:12–59, Pastor Thomas shows how this bold claim exposes hostility, reveals our deepest need, and points us to Christ as the only answer-calling us to belief, worship, and witness in a world of darkness.
Transcript
Good morning. As we continue on our sermon series this morning, we’re going to be looking at the gospel of John chapter 8, and we’ll start at verse 12. So if you’d be so kind as to turn with me in your Bibles to John chapter 8. It’s a pretty long portion of text this morning, so you can remain seated. If you don’t have a Bible with you, there are some Bibles in the seat in front of you, underneath that seat in that basket, and you can find our text on page 840. And then the text that we’ll be going through this morning is going to be behind us on the screen as well. I’ll read our text, and then we’ll pray, and then we’ll dive in.
Again Jesus spoke to them saying, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life
— John 8
(ESV)
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So the Pharisees said to him, you are bearing witness about yourself. Your testimony is not true. Jesus answered, even if I do bear witness about myself, my testimony is true. For I know where I come from and where I am going. But you do not know where I come from or where I am going. You judge according to the flesh. I judge no one. Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true. For it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me. In your law it is written that the testimony of two people is true. I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me. They said to him, therefore, where is your father? Jesus answered, you neither know me nor my father. If you knew me, you would know my father also
— John 8
(ESV)
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These words he spoke in the treasury as he taught in the temple, but no one arrested him because his hour had not yet come. So he said to them again, I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come. So the Jews said, will he kill himself since he says where I am going, you cannot come? He said to them, you are from below. I am from above. You are of this world, I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he, you will die in your sins. So they said to him, who are you? Jesus said to them, just what I have been telling you from the beginning. I have much to say about you and much to judge, but he who sent me is true, and I declare
to the world that I have heard from him. They did not understand what he had been speaking to them about the father. So Jesus said to them, when you have lifted up the son of man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority but speak just as the father taught me, 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. As he was saying these things, many believed in him. So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, if you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. They answered him, we are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say you will become free?
Jesus answered them, truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever, the son remains forever. So if the son sets you free, you will be free indeed. I know that you are offspring of Abraham, yet you seek to kill me because my words find no place in you. I speak of what I have seen with my father, and you do what you have heard from your father. They answered him, Abraham is our father. Jesus said to them, if you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I have heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. You are doing the works your father did. They said to him, we were not born of sexual immorality
— John 8
(ESV)
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We have one father, even God. Jesus said to them, if God were your father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. You are of your father, the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? Whoever is of God hears the words of God.
The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God. The Jews answered him, are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon? Jesus answered, I do not have a demon, but I honor my father and you dishonor me. Yet I do not seek my own glory. There is one who seeks it, and he is the judge. Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death. The Jews said to him, we know, now we know that you have a demon. Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say if anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death. Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died, and the prophets died? Who do you make yourself out to be? Jesus answered, if I glorify myself, my glory is nothing.
It is my father who glorifies me, of whom you say he is our God, but you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him, and I keep his word. Our father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad. So the Jews said to him, you are not yet fifty years old, and you have seen Abraham? Jesus said to them, truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am. So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple
— John 8
(ESV)
. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Let’s pray. Our father and our God, we thank you for your word. And we pray this morning that your Holy Spirit would shine the light on this text this morning,
Hostility to the Light
and shine the light in our hearts, and expose that which we need to see and hear. We recognize, oh Lord, that without you, we would be lost in the darkness, and so we pray that we might see the marvelous light as it’s contained in your word this morning. We pray these things in Jesus’ name, amen. So that’s a lot of text to go through this morning. This whole section in John’s gospel is not only loaded with conflict, as we’ve been watching this conflict unfold over the last few weeks, it’s also loaded with deep theological truth. And we could spend a couple weeks tracing all of the beautiful doctrine that’s contained in this section here. But this morning, I actually want to spend our time together looking at this section from a different angle. You see, right in the middle of all of this theology, and teaching, and conflict, John
gives us this brief but powerful statement in verse 30 that I think this entire text orbits around. In verse 30 it says, as he was saying these things, many believed in him. That little verse that sits in the center of all of this theology, all of the teaching, it actually reframes everything about this ongoing conflict. It tells us that in the midst of this debate, this back and forth between Jesus and his opponents, that there was actually some spiritual fruit. In the midst of all that was going on, John’s gospel tells us that many people believed in him. And so this morning, I do want us to see the theology, but I also want us to notice how Jesus carried himself as he engaged in a world filled with unbelief. Because I think what we have in this chapter is a kind of living and breathing example
of what it looks like to hold out the gospel to a world full of hostility. What we should expect when we speak the truth of the exclusivity of Jesus. And what it looks like for us to help people move from unbelief to belief. This passage shows us all of these things with incredible detail. It gives us these key features of personal evangelism. Features that we need to understand. Things that we need to expect. And the things that we need to express so that like Jesus, we too might see many believe in him. Normally, we would take a text like this and move through it slowly, line by line, following John’s flow of thought from start to finish, but we’d be here for like a week. And though I think it’s a very helpful way of unpacking God’s word, this morning, we’re gonna approach it a little differently.
Instead of working through it chronologically, we’re gonna move around it in circles, looking at things thematically. In other words, we’re gonna gather up all the threads as we orbit around that one text in verse 30 to see the big picture of evangelism in an unbelieving world. So that we might learn from Jesus. And to help us along, we’ll look at these four features that are clearly on display in this text. We’ll look at hostility, need, Jesus, and belief. Now we’re gonna bounce around a lot in this text. And so I want to encourage you this morning, as best as you can, to track with me, to stay focused and engaged. I think we have something like 50 slides for you to look at. That’s for your help, I hope. And I want you to focus because this whole sermon this morning has a kind of order to
it that requires a bit of your attention to follow. But you can do it, right? Okay, okay. So let’s begin with the first feature that almost always shows up in an unbelieving world. And that was clearly in Jesus’ own ministry. And that is hostility. In fact, if you look at this whole section, you can trace the hostility all throughout this passage. In verse 13, you see dismissal. Verse 19, you see mockery. Verse 22, sarcasm. Verse 25, contempt. Verses 37 and 40, they plot to kill Jesus. Verse 41, personal insults. Verses 48 and 52, accusations of evil. And then finally in verse 59, violence. Now that’s a whole lot of hostility towards this Jesus. The question we should be asking is, why such hostility? Why so much venom directed at Jesus? Well, to boil it down to its smallest compound, it’s because of Jesus’ claims. You see, this whole section of hostility opens with one of the most audacious claims in Jesus’
entire earthly ministry. Jesus says in verse 12, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. Now when Jesus says this, He’s not just tossing out some vague metaphor. Like some spiritual guru who’s making claims that offer enlightenment. He’s making a claim that cuts straight to the heart of Israel’s worship and its religious system. And to feel the weight of this claim, you have to understand where Jesus is standing when He says this. Verse 20 tells us, these words He spoke in the treasury as He taught in the temple. Now why does John bother with that detail about the treasury? Well, let me just try to unpack this for us to make it make sense for us. In the temple, there were different sections. Like the court of Israel, you had a section called the court of priests, and in the treasury
was this section called the court of women. This was the most public part of the temple where men and women would both gather together. And in this court of women, during the feast of booths, the Jews placed four massive lamps in this court, so big that each one of these lamps filled roughly 75 gallons of oil. These lamps were set to illuminate the entire city of Jerusalem during the feast of booths as a reminder of God’s light in the wilderness. Now if you remember last week, the festival had just ended, which meant that the lamps were being extinguished and put away, much like we would put away Christmas decorations the day after Christmas. Or if you’re like my family, it’s probably two months after Christmas, so you got to find the boxes and all that stuff, but that’s what’s going on here. It’s in this setting where Jesus likely points to those lamps that were being taken down
for next year’s feast of booths, where He says to the people, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. Now that’s not just a throwaway line. That’s one of the boldest claims Jesus has ever made. You have to remember all this dialogue and conflict we’ve been looking at over the last few weeks that happened during the feast of booths. We saw how the feast of booths was this week-long celebration of God’s faithfulness in the wilderness under Moses as He led them out of slavery into freedom. And how every single element was designed to rehearse and retell Israel’s story while they were in the wilderness. So for seven days, people lived in these temporary shelters or booths. That’s why it’s called the feast of booths. Just like their ancestors did in the wilderness until they got to the promised land.
During this festival, there was a water-pouring ceremony, remembering how the Lord gave water from the rock as a means to temporary satisfy their thirst while in the wilderness. During this festival, there was feasting, recalling how God fed His people from manna, with manna from heaven. And then you have this whole court of women thing, where these massive menorah-like lamps filled the city with light, reminding them of the Lord’s presence and the Lord’s direction while they moved in the wilderness. Now each one of these were not just, you know, religious traditions as a means of remembering what happened in the wilderness. Family, these were signposts. And when Jesus begins making this claim in the middle of the feast, He’s deliberately saying to these people, all of these elements point to Me. So in John 7, 38, when Jesus said, whoever believes in Me, out of his heart will flow
rivers of living water, He’s saying, I am the true and better rock who pours out the spirit and satisfies spiritual thirst forever. In John 6, 35, when He says, I am the bread of life, whoever comes to Me shall never hunger, He’s saying, I am the true nourishment that comes down from heaven that endures forever. Not like the manna that shrivels up every single day. And here in John 8, 12, standing in the midst of those blazing lamps, He says, I am the light of the world. He’s declaring, I am the very presence of God who led your fathers in the wilderness. The light that celebrates shines on Me. The fire that guided Israel is Me. And so you can easily see why this claim landed with such fierce among the Pharisees. Jesus isn’t merely claiming to be the Messiah or to bring illumination. He is claiming to be God’s presence itself.
The light of salvation, the fulfillment of everything this feast pointed to. Jesus testifies all of these things point to Himself. And that’s why the Pharisees erupt in anger in verse 13. You are bearing witness about yourself. Your testimony is not true. You understand what’s what’s going on here. In other words, how dare you make such an audacious claim about yourself? Who do you think you are? And you see the hostility only escalates from there. Because when Jesus claims to be the light of the world, He’s not just drawing on festival imagery. He’s tying Himself into the whole storyline of Scripture. In the beginning, when the world was created, before God made the sun, before He set the stars in place, Genesis 1 tells us that God spoke light into the darkness. And until God created the luminaries, God’s very presence provided all the light that
the world needed. That’s Jesus. In Exodus 3, when God called Moses, He appeared as light in the burning bush, a fire that burned but did not consume. In Exodus 13, God led His people through the night with a pillar of fire. And now Jesus says, all of that was me. The God of light who brings creation out of chaos and gives light to the world. I am the God who called Moses. I am the God who led Israel by fire in the wilderness, and I have come in the flesh to bring light to the world. That’s why the hostility is so sharp. Because if Jesus really is the light, then He’s not just another rabbi giving commentary on the law. He’s claiming the very identity of God Himself. And that claim exposes everything. It exposes that the Pharisees don’t actually know God, whom they called their father, even
though they prided themselves on being His representative. It exposed that their judgments are worldly and shallow because they failed to judge Jesus correctly. It exposes that for all of their talk about being the children of Abraham, they are nothing like Abraham. Because Abraham longed to see the day when Jesus, the light of the world, would come into the world in flesh. And the more Jesus presses, the more hostile they become. And you see how their anger builds. By the end of this section in verse 59, they’re ready to kill Him. They’re ready to pick up stones. And why do they want to kill Him? Because verse 58 tells us that Jesus told these Pharisees, before Abraham was, I am. And you see, the Pharisees knew exactly what Jesus meant when He said that. He was claiming the divine name of God in Exodus 3.14, when God said to Moses, I am
who I am. And so to these Pharisees, this is blasphemy. And they ironically pick up stones to kill the very God whom they profess to know. The one who alone could forgive them. And why? Why do they do that? Because Jesus dared to shine the light into their spiritual darkness. And you see, that’s at the center of all their hostility. His light exposes the evil, not just of the world, but with religious self-righteousness. And this isn’t a new theme in John’s gospel. In fact, in the very beginning, back in the prologue, John already told us how this thing was going to go down and how these people would respond. Do you remember John 1, verses 9 through 11? The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.
He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. And here in chapter 8, we see what John said play out in real time with these Pharisees. And family, this is why people still react with such hostility today. You see, the gospel isn’t offensive because it tells people to love thy neighbor. The gospel is offensive because it declares, you are in darkness, and unless you follow Jesus, who is the light, you will die in your sins. The gospel offends because it says, Jesus alone is the light, and every other light leads to darkness. It’s offensive because Jesus’ claims are exclusive, and every other so-called God in this world is a false God. So, this is the first thing we should expect when we speak the truth about Jesus, hostility. We shouldn’t be surprised when people push back against the claims that we make about
Exposing Human Need
Jesus because Jesus himself was rejected for his claims. Not because he wasn’t clear, but precisely because he was clear concerning his claims. He said, I am the light of the world, and the darkness hated him. Just like the darkness hates him today. It’s no different. And this brings us, family, to the next feature, need. You see, underneath all the hostility lies a very real issue. Darkness is the natural condition of the human heart because of sin, and there’s nothing we can do on our own to fix it. And so that’s what makes verse 30 so beautiful. Let’s look at that verse again. As he was saying these things, many believed in him. So then, what were these things? What was it that Jesus was saying that stirred up hostility in some, but belief in others? Well, when you boil it down, it was his relentless emphasis on human need.
You see that all throughout John 8, as Jesus masterfully unfolds the various needs to bring people out of darkness into light. And so he first begins with the need to know God. We see this in verse 19. Jesus says, you neither know me nor my father. If you knew me, you would know my father also. Now just think about this for a second. The Pharisees were the religious experts. Their whole job was to know God, the father. They taught the law. They prayed the prayers. They wore the robes. So in their minds, they most certainly knew who God was. But Jesus cuts through all of it and says, you don’t know God at all because you reject me. And listen, that’s a devastating declaration if you think about it. Because what this means is that you could be religious. You could practice spiritual disciplines. You could live a morally upright life and still be completely lost in the darkness if
you miss Jesus. And our culture desperately needs to hear this. You know, despite what people say, deep down inside, most people in our world don’t deny the existence of God. They just redefine him. Or they recreate God in their own image, shaped by their preferences or by their politics or by their pain. But Jesus says, without me, you don’t know God. And if you don’t know God, then this leads to another need. Number two, the need for access to heaven. Jesus says, I am going away and you will seek me and you will die in your sins. Where I am going, you cannot come. This family is an incredibly exclusive statement from Jesus, but it’s necessary. Heaven isn’t a kind of default destination that happens after death. And despite what our culture thinks, it’s not some afterlife afterparty where everyone gets to go to when we die.
Listen, heaven is the home of a holy God. And when you tether holiness to heaven, you begin to realize two things. First, sin cannot be in the presence of a holy God. Because sin separates us from a holy God. Which means sinful people can’t reside in the home of a holy God. And secondly, it reveals that most people who are lost in sin wouldn’t want to actually go there to begin with. Because they hate holiness. And they love the darkness. Essentially, Jesus says to these Pharisees, I reside in heaven, in holiness, in righteousness, in a world where no sin can exist. You reside in the world below. In a world saturated with sin, including your own. And you can’t just show up to my holy home uninvited, unprepared, and most importantly, unclean. No matter how moral you think you are, heaven is not a right for religious people or for
good people. It’s a gift. And its access comes only from the God who grants it. Jesus says, without me, you will die in your sins. Now, what does it mean to die in your sin? Let me just try to state it as simply as possible. To die in your sin means this, when you die, your guilt, because of your sin, goes with you. In fact, it’s the only thing that goes with you. Not your money, not your accomplishments, not your legacy. Those things stay here, but guilt, because of your sin, clings to you. And without Jesus, it’s tattooed on your soul forever. And because you take your guilt of sin with you, you can’t be allowed in the home of a holy God. You understand that? And what’s remarkable is that churches today rarely speak about this reality. And the reason why I think they do it is because it sounds kind of off-putting, right?
It’s bad for Jesus’ brand or the church’s brand. It sounds way too harsh. It sounds way too exclusive in our very inclusive world. And so they try to sandpaper off all the sharp edges of Jesus’ warning because they think it’s more effective to reach people that way. But when you do that, you actually leave out the very thing that people need. You dismiss the very need that drives people to him. And remember who Jesus is saying this to. Not to pagans, not to atheists, not to the unchurched, but to the most religious men of his day, the Pharisees. He tells them, your lineage, your law-keeping, your status, all your rule-following, those things can’t get you into heaven. I am the access point. I am the way to the Father. Without me, you cannot come where I am going. You see why that was so offensive to these Pharisees?
Which brings us to the third need Jesus emphasizes, the need for forgiveness. In verses 23 and 24, Jesus says, you are from below, I am from above. You are of this world, I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins for unless you believe that I am he, you will die in your sins. You see, the problem with the Pharisees was that they were proud and self-righteous. The last thing they thought they needed was forgiveness. They were so preoccupied with religion and rule-keeping and recognition that they missed it. But Jesus says, you need forgiveness because your greatest problem is sin. And unless you believe that I am the one who can forgive sins, you will die in them. And that’s not just a Pharisee problem. That’s an every person problem. Our culture is completely comfortable talking about mistakes and struggles or our imperfections,
but not sin. Family, why do you think that is? Because admitting sin means admitting guilt. And admitting guilt means admitting your need for forgiveness from the one whom your sins most profoundly offend. And that’s exactly what self-sufficient and self-righteous people hate to admit, that they are sinners in desperate need for forgiveness. Which brings us to our next need, number four, the need for freedom. We see this in verses 34 and 35. Jesus straight up tells them in verse 32 that the truth will set you free. And look how the Pharisees begin to push back on Jesus in verse 33. We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say we will become free? The Pharisees, blinded by pride, insist we’ve never been enslaved. Look who you’re talking to. We’re the righteous ones. But Jesus says everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.
And our culture isn’t that far from Pharisees. We say this all the time. Be free to be yourself. Do what you want. You do you. But in the name of freedom, we become enslaved to self, to approval, to sex, to money, to technology, to addiction. We can’t stop even if we wanted to. And by definition, that’s not freedom. That’s slavery. And the only one who has the key to break the chains of slavery is the Son. And that’s why Jesus addresses the next need. Number five, the need for truth. We see this in verse 37 through 38 and verse 32. In verse 37, Jesus says, I know that you are the offspring of Abraham, okay? Yet you seek to kill me because my words find no place in you. And you need to see the point Jesus is making here. Being Abraham’s son doesn’t free you from slavery’s sin.
Only God can do that. This is why he says in verse 38, I speak of what I have seen with my father, and you do what you have heard from your father. And again, we get more irony. They think they are children of Abraham, but Jesus says, no, you actually are imitating your real father, the devil, who is the father of lies. In other words, Jesus is saying that the sons of Abraham by blood are acting more like the sons of Satan in their behavior, in their lies, and in their unbelief. And here’s the ultimate irony. Because of their deception, because they don’t have the truth, the supposed sons of Abraham are standing in judgment over the true son of God. And that’s why truth matters. And that’s why Jesus says in verse 32, you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
You see, the Pharisees thought they had the truth. They had the Torah. They had the traditions. They had the teaching. They had the law. But they were deceived. And because they were blind to the truth, they misrepresented it, and they weaponized it. They used it to condemn people instead of pointing people to the God who sets captives free. Our culture isn’t that far off. We live in an age of your truth, my truth. Truth is whatever you feel. Truth is whatever you choose or whatever you invent. But Jesus says truth is not relative. Truth is not self-made. It’s not open for interpretation, and it’s not irrelevant. Truth is a person. And do you see how Jesus creates this flow that helps them recognize their need? Listen carefully. If you don’t know God, then you don’t have access to heaven. And you can’t have access to heaven because you’re dead in your sins.
Jesus as the Answer
You’re dead in your sins because you need forgiveness. And you need forgiveness because you’re a slave to sin. If you’re a slave to sin, you need freedom. But to experience true freedom, you need truth. And truth can only be found in the person of Jesus. That’s the chain that Jesus uses to set before this unbelieving world. And every single link in that chain points to one place, or rather one person. And that brings us to the next feature, Jesus. What’s most compelling about this entire passage isn’t how Jesus manages the hostility of the Pharisees or the depth of human need, but how Jesus steps into the center of that darkness and declares himself to be the answer of all human need. So let’s just walk back through those needs again, but this time with Jesus at the center of that need. First, the need to know God.
Well, Jesus reveals the Father. We see this in verses 14 through 19. In verse 19, the Pharisees mocked Jesus, where is your Father? Jesus answered, you neither know me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also. This is true both for the Pharisee and for every human being. They don’t know God. But here’s the good news. You can know God. You don’t have to spend your life guessing what God is like. You don’t have to wonder if he’s distant or hidden or unknowable. Jesus says, look at me and you will see him. Colossians 1.15 tells us that he, Jesus, is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. Hebrews 1.3 says, he is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature and he upholds the universe by the power of his word.
That means that the eternal, invisible God has stepped into human history in the person of Jesus so that we might know him personally, not theoretically. In Jesus, the God of light makes his glory seen and knowable before people. And notice, Jesus doesn’t speculate about God. He declares what is true about God. Every word he speaks carries divine authority because he and the Father are one. Second, the need for access to heaven. Well, Jesus opens the way to heaven. We see this in verses 21 and 24. Jesus says, I am going away, meaning I’m going to heaven, you will seek me and you will die in your sins. Where I am going, you cannot come. But then in verse 24 he adds, unless you believe that I am he, you will die in your sins. And I wonder, do you hear the hope that’s there? Heaven isn’t locked for those who have the key.
Access isn’t denied for everyone. The door swings wide open, but only through Jesus. And it hinges on that word, unless. John 14, 6 says, I am the way. I am the truth and I am the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. Ephesians 2, 18 says, for through him we have both access in one spirit to the Father. Jesus is the one who takes unclean sinners and makes them fit for the home of a holy God. Number three, the need for forgiveness. Jesus bears our sin. We see this in verse 24 and 28. Jesus warns, you will die in your sins. But in verse 28, he drops the gospel key. When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he. And that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me.
Now what does Jesus mean when he says, when you have lifted up the Son of Man? John uses this phrase repeatedly, and it has a kind of double meaning. But what he means here is that Jesus would be lifted up on a cross. And in that moment, he would be exalted as the true Son of Man. It’s at the cross where his identity is revealed and where the mission is accomplished. In other words, when you see Jesus lifted up to die for sin, then you will know who I really am. And how exactly are our sins forgiven? Well, not by denying them, not by outweighing them with good works, not by comparing them with other people. They are forgiven when Jesus is lifted up. When he bears the guilt for our sin in our place, which gives us access to God who resides in the heavens.
Isaiah 53, 5 through 6 says, but he was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. Upon him was the chastisement or hostility that brought us peace. And by his wounds, we are healed. All we, like sheep, have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way. And the Lord has laid on him the iniquity, the sin of us all. Second Corinthians 521, for our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. First Peter 224, he himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. The shadow of the cross stretches across this whole conversation, even in the midst of hostility. The cross is how God meets humanity’s deepest need. Number four, the need for freedom.
Jesus sets us free. We see this in verses 31 through 36. John 8, 31 through 32, Jesus says, if you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. The Pharisees in pride claim, we’ve never been enslaved. And remember, Jesus cuts their denial by saying in verse 34, anyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. But in verse 36, Jesus says, if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. You see, true freedom isn’t found in doing whatever you want. That’s not liberty. True freedom is being released from the chains of sin that prevent you from living the way that God has made you to live under his righteous rule and reign. Romans 6, 6 says, for we know that our old self was crucified with him in order that
the body of sin might be brought to nothing so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. Second Corinthians 3, 17, now the Lord is the spirit and where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. Listen, you can’t be free on your own. No matter how hard you try, only the Son can set you free. Number five, the need for truth. Well, Jesus is the truth. We see this in verses 45 through 47. Verse 45 tells them, because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. This verse was in every way an indictment against the religious Pharisees. In other words, the very embodiment of truth stands before the Pharisees, but their eyes and their ears are close to the truth. John 18, 37 says, for this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world. To what?
To bear witness to the truth. Ephesians 4, 21, the truth is in Jesus. This was true for them and it stands true today. Our world is starving for the truth, though they don’t know it. But they’re allergic to the exclusive truth teller. And listen, Jesus doesn’t just speak truth as a kind of refreshment to our post-truth world. He is the truth. So to reject Him is to reject reality itself. And family, do you see it clearly? Every need that humanity has is met in Jesus. You need to know God. Jesus reveals Him. You need access to heaven. Jesus opens the way. You need forgiveness. Jesus bears your sin. You need freedom. Jesus breaks your chains. You need truth. Jesus embodies the truth. And that’s why the hostility makes sense. Because if Jesus really does all of that, then to remain neutral is really not an option.
The Call to Belief
You either fall down in worship or you pick up stones to throw at Him. You either accept the truth or you reject Him. There is no neutral ground. And this brings us to the last feature, belief. If hostility is the natural response to the flesh, and if need is the universal condition for all of humanity, and if Jesus is the all-sufficient answer to our need, the question is this. Will you believe? And that’s exactly where Jesus presses throughout this whole chapter. Let’s look at verse 30 one more time. As He was saying these things, many believed in Him. In the middle of all that mockery, dismissal, accusation, and threats, many believed. Not because they suddenly had a softening of their heart. Not because, you know, the hostility was evaporated or distinguished by Jesus. But because some heard His words and saw themselves clearly. And that’s what makes the difference.
The self-righteous will always mock the needy. The self-sufficient will always resist their own need. But those who see their need will believe. Notice how Jesus ties belief directly to Himself over and over again in this passage. Verse 24, unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins. Verse 31, if you abide in My word, you are truly My disciple. Verse 51, if anyone keeps My word, he will never see death. Do you see the thread? And how Jesus defines belief. Belief isn’t just an intellectual assent. It’s not some vague or sentimental sense of spirituality. Belief is personal trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of sins. It’s abiding in Him, which means living with Him and for Him. And it’s keeping His word, meaning doing what He tells us to do. As it’s explained in His word. It’s staking your very life on Him.
And family, belief always divides. The same gospel that saves the humble will enrage the proud, which means there is no neutral ground. You can’t stand at a safe distance from Jesus, admiring Him as a moral teacher, borrowing some of His teachings for inspiration and claiming to know Him. He does not allow that. Jesus demands belief, which means trust, obedience, and submission to His word. That’s what it means to believe. And this is why John wrote his gospel. He tells us this in the very beginning, or at the very end of his gospel, John 20, 31. These are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing in Him, you may have life in His name. Dear friend, if you’re here this morning and you don’t know yourself to be a Christian, this chapter leaves you standing at a crossroads.
On the one side, you have hostility. On the other side, you have belief. And right in the middle stands Jesus. He exposes our needs. He offers Himself as the answer to anyone, and He calls you to believe. So here’s the question you must face this morning. What will you do with Jesus? Will you turn away in hostility? Will you ignore your need and keep on pretending that you’re fine? Or will you believe? And if you want to believe, you can believe this morning right where you are. Believe that He reveals the Father, the one you’ve been searching for. Believe that He opens the way to heaven. Believe that He bore your sins while He was lifted up on the cross and when He rose from the grave. Believe that He alone can set you free. Speak the truth so that you might be raised from death to life.
Living in the Light
So friend, will you keep the stone in your hand? Or will you fall at His feet in faith? The difference is eternity. And if you have questions about what it means to believe, just talk to anyone in this room. Ask them, are you a member of this church? And if they say yes, they will joyfully help you to know what it means to follow Jesus. And family, what this means for us really is as simple as it gets. We were once in darkness, on a pathway of dying in our sins. But Jesus met us in our need and He provided everything, every single one of those needs He provided. He opened our eyes so that we could see the truth, so that we could believe. And you see, without Him doing that, without His work in us, we would never believe. We would never do it.
We would have kept on loving the darkness, running from the light. But He opened our eyes and He opened our heart to love Him and the light. And because Jesus has done all of this for us, because He revealed the Father, because He bore our sin, because He set us free, because He gave us truth, our response should be nothing short of endless worship and thankfulness. My pastoral application for you this morning is worship. Revel in the goodness and the glory of God, because He’s given you the gift of belief. And that worship, brothers and sisters, that reveling in God should have a spill-out effect in our lives. Because if we’ve truly experienced His light, then we should be affectionately compelled to step into an unbelieving world and hold this light out to them so that they could freely receive it, so that many might believe in Him.
Listen, I know hostility is hard. I know many of you feel the tension of this hostility as you share with people in your workplace or with your friends or with your neighbors or even with family members. I know it’s hard. It’s painful. But let me just encourage you, no amount of hostility will compare to the infinite joy of seeing someone turn from unbelief to belief, from darkness into the light. So brothers and sisters, let me encourage you, you can endure any hostility that you may face if it means hope for a world that is dying in unbelief. Amen? Let’s pray. Our Father and our God, we thank You that though we were a people lost in darkness, You gave us the light of the world to expose our need and to reveal our glorious God. We thank You that on the cross, You paid for every sin that separates us from God
so that we not only have You in heaven, but we have You with us now. And having You with us now changes the way that we live. It gives us hope and peace and comfort and assurance and confidence. God, we pray that as a result, we would be a people who worship You and a people zealous to evangelize our world and our city with the gospel. Stir an affectionate call in us to bring the good news to bear on an unbelieving world. We pray in Jesus’ name, amen.