John 8:34-47, “Jesus replied, ‘Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. I know that you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are looking for a way to kill me, because you have no room for my word. I am telling you what I have seen in the Father’s presence, and you are doing what you have heard from your father.’ ’Abraham is our father,’ they answered. ‘If you were Abraham’s children,’ said Jesus, ‘then you would do what Abraham did. As it is, you are looking for a way to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. You are doing the works of your own father.’ ‘We are not illegitimate children,’ they protested. ‘The only Father we have is God himself.’ Jesus said to them, ‘If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me. Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.’”
Sin is the easy way of life for awhile. Eventually you realize you are unsatisfied and lack
actual joy in your life. You may have temporary happiness here and there, but not true
joy and contentment. As Jesus tells us in John 8:34, “…everyone who sins is a slave to
sin”. Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago”.
I can’t imagine living with all the rules and regulations the Jewish leaders had placed on
the Church. Our faith is supposed to bring freedom, but that way of living did not provide freedom. Thankfully, a new life in Christ makes us a new creation and sets us free! My dad always said there are more dos in the Bible than don’ts. Let’s focus on the
positive here!
The belief of the leaders was wrongfully placed. They believed they were children of God (v. 41). Jesus rebuked their claim by telling them if they were children of God they would love him. They couldn’t understand what Jesus was saying nor did they believe him because they were not God’s children. Jesus also told them their father was the devil and they were carrying out the devil’s work.
You see, these were the highest religious leaders of the time. Jesus tells them
they are evil and are the devil’s children. I think this shows us that no one is above being blinded to the fact they are being religious—going through the motions without a heart change. This is a serious place to be.
Each Christian faces one or many “crises of belief” when we question what we believe
and why we believe it. It causes us to dig into our faith and talk to other Christians about
the big rocks of Christianity. When we follow through this period of time, it makes us stronger and creates a deeper connection with God and the body of Christ. So if you haven’t had this experience yet, don’t stress when it happens.
We have these because we are God’s children and they are periods of growth in your
walk with Christ. God has plans for us and wants us to be prepared for them. So if you
start to doubt that you are his child, remember you are being tended to, cultivated and
grown by God’s own hand. The devil wants you to believe otherwise. Allow the reverent
fear of God to cast out the negative fear of the enemy.
• Go back over all of the memory verses we’ve learned so far. If they’ve been tough to memorize, journal them, write them on stickies and put on your mirror, or find another way that helps you.
• Think about each one and how God has spoken to you through them.
• Have you memorized them? Hide them in your heart!
Continue to memorize Jeremiah 29:11, “…’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”
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