To Dwell with and Be Of God
John 8:31-47
John 8
31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Abide
John 8
31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
John 8
33 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’?”
John 8
34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.
John 8
35 The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
John 8
37 I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. 38 I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.”
John 8
39 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, 40 but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did.
What Abraham did. Gen 18
1 And the Lord appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. 2 He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth 3 and said, “O Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant.
He gave The Lord and his men water to wash their feet, They baked them bread/ cakes, slaughter a calf for meat to eat and gave them milk and curds.
John 8
41 You are doing the works your father did.” They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father—even God.”
John 8
42 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.
“children” do the work their Father did
A child will speak what they have seen from their father
Do what they have heard from their father
John 8
43 Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word.
John 8
44 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.
John 8
45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. 46 Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? 47 Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.”
John 8
The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.”
If my aim is to be “of God”
I have to believe and accept Him, Jesus and my adoption into His Family.
I can’t do that in my own power.
That’s the power of God’s Grace.
My aim must be to live or focus on Jesus’ words.
Then I will know and love Him.
Be His student and follower,
I will know and understand His ways more and see what is true.
This truth is what will set me free from the trappings of sin and lies.
Let’s practice dwelling
in Jesus’ words, His directions and His presence.