8:1 but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. 3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst 4 they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. 5 Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” 6 This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. 7 And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. 9 But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. 10 Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”]]
I Am the Light of the World
12 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.” 13 So the Pharisees said to him, “You are bearing witness about yourself; your testimony is not true.” 14 Jesus answered, “Even if I do bear witness about myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. 15 You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. 16 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. 17 In your Law it is written that the testimony of two people is true. 18 I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me.” 19 They said to him therefore, “Where is your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” 20 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.
21 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.” 22 So the Jews said, “Will he kill himself, since he says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?” 23 He said to them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.” 25 So they said to him, “Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “Just what I have been telling you from the beginning. 26 I have much to say about you and much to judge, but he who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him.” 27 They did not understand that he had been speaking to them about the Father. 28 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. 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.” 30 As he was saying these things, many believed in him.
The Truth Will Set You Free
31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in 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.” 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’?”
34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. 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. 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.”
You Are of Your Father the Devil
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. 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.” 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. 43 Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. 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 has nothing to do with 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. 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.”
Before Abraham Was, I Am
48 The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” 49 Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. 50 Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge. 51 Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” 52 The Jews said to him, “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.’ 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?” 54 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.’ 55 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. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” 57 So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” 58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” 59 So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple. (ESV)
12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Jesus Christ is all that truly matters and he is worth living for. He is the light of this world, this dark and evil world! I am thankful that I am a follower of Christ and that I do not walk in darkness. The light and knowledge I have, I want to shine it and spread it to others! I do not want to hide it or keep it for myself when there are other people who have never heard of the gospel! Repenting of my sins and putting my faith in the Lord was the best decision I have ever made in my life! I want to continue walking in the light and never be lead astray. Jesus is the boss, judge, prince of peace, wonderful savior!!!! To him be the glory forever!!!! Praise God, maranatha!!!!!
11″No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
12When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
What an awesome chapter!!! Like it says in verse 11, we are all guilty of sin and we must leave that life before i become one of Gods children. When i gave my life to the Lord and confessed of my sins i felt more into completely turning away from sin and completely leaving that life filled with sin. Now I feel like im falling into sin continuously and i dont feel that urge to leave that life of sin. I must get excited and be enthusiastic every single day about Jesus and i should want to turn all the way around and leave my life of sin! I cannot return to my sin like a dog returns to its vommit! Verse 12 is so encouraging! Jesus is the light of the world and because i am one of his children, i am in that light and out of darkness! I have the light of life and that is something to praise the Lord for<3
Allie, thank you for your willingness to bring the feelings you have been having out of the dark and into the light. It is THEN that God can deal with purging us of our sin. Stay in His Word, m’lady. Your heart longs for Him–we can sense that, and so can HE! He is greater than he who is in or of this world, and as in Zephaniah 3: 17 (and Chris Tomlin reminds us in one of his songs!!!), our God is MIGHTY TO SAVE. I pray for the Holy Spirit’s strength and will to come upon you, and that you would RECEIVE Him and press on to surrender the sinful desires that come your way, and that you would run like the dickens away from the temptations that inevitably come your way…
I find it classic that the woman was CAUGHT in the act of adultery. Know what that means? Someone ELSE was caught in adultery, TOO. Perhaps their friend, a fellow pharisee. Yet HE was not turned over for stoning…
Also, I wonder what Jesus wrote in the sand. I wonder if he started writing each of the accusers’ sins in the sand…
Jesus knew that these men would choose to stay in their sin instead of repent and follow Him. Yet we still have much of the Gospels showing us that He STILL bore witness to them. This kind of tenacity and fortitude is what we ought to take on as we are faithful in witnessing for Him, OURSELVES.
UPDATE ON MY MOM AND AUNT: Mom’s surgery went well–now we wait the couple weeks for the pathology results. And we continue to pray for her salvation and repentance through whatever means Jesus deems necessary to abolish the sinfulness in her heart and life. She’s breaking, and it is AWESOME to see. Aunt: round one of chemo is done. The process itself? Not so bad, I guess. It’ll be these next couple weeks and how her body responds. Aunt is saved, praise God. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS.
ELLO… I read
I like verse 58,”"I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!”"
I love this verse because JESUS straight up tells everyone who HE is. The people were right to try to stone HIM except HE was GOD and was not lying to them. HE says who HE is straight forward and I believe that I must do the same. JESUS tells everyone who HE is almost every conversation HE has is about GOD. I need to step it up in sharing the GOSPEL and to not take part in idle chatter that can result in sin, if that happens then I need to either leave or change it.
CYA
John 8:24 I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins.”
Can’t be any clearer than this… There is only one road to everlasting life: Jesus Christ. A lot of ‘religious’ people are being fooled. Don’t be fooled. Mat 7:22-23 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
Stacy – Praise God for His care of your mom and aunt!
31To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
These verses show that continuing to trust and obey Jesus is an accurate way to test and see if we are really His disciples. Anyone can say they are a Christian, but what does our life look like as it relates to knowing Scripture and being obedient to it? In this day and age so many pastors preach that all we need to do is believe in Christ and pray a prayer and that is what brings salvation, but that is not Biblical. If a specific prayer was the key to eternal life don’t you think God would have included that in the Bible? The way to eternal life is Repentance + Faith = Salvation + Good Works. That Truth is all over the Bible! It is important for all of us to examine our lives and be sure we have evidence of salvation. Our evidence is that once we claimed to repent of our sins and place our trust in Christ we have seen a growing obedience to God and His Word. Jesus Himself tells us, without obedience we can not be saved!
This was a great chapter!
From Pastor Mike’s sermon this last weekend I can see that Jesus did come to be a teacher (doctor). His mission was to diagnose (identify) the problem and to provide a solution.
This is man’s problem: “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin”(Jn 8:34).
Jesus came to solve that problem by making us free through the truth. It says in Ephesians 3:12: “In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.”
In other words through faith in the sacrifice of Christ we are set free from sin and the flesh and can have confidence before God.
I need to live not according to my sinful nature but according the spirit because I have been set free from my flesh.
God is good!!
7When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”
The Pharisees and teachers of the law had brought this women found guilty of adultery before Jesus to find something wrong in Him again in this next episode of “Stump Jesus”. They tell of how an adulterer would be stoned to death in the times of Moses by law. Seeing through this trap, Jesus gives permission to any of them who are without sin to go ahead and stone her. The Pharisees and teachers of the law were so focused on tricking Jesus and punishing this women for her sin, yet they were blind to their own sin. This is like picking the speck out of a neighbor’s eye before pulling out the plank in one’s own eye. People are so quick to condemn others, yet they are slow to accepting their own sin. They are so fast to defend themselves against any accusation, yet have not any patience to hear the defending cry of the one they are ready and so eager to punish. Here the Pharisees and teachers of the law would have been ready to pick up the stones and kill the women, yet had their own sins been brought before and faced with stoning, their attitude would have been quite to the contrary. I need to not seek joy in putting others down or trying to build myself up by seeking punishment for all the wrong things other people do. I need to keep my first priority in this area as myself. I need to be more focused on correcting the sin in my life before I go out to do so with others. Before correcting others for the wrong in their lives, I must first examine my own life to check how my battle against sin is. If there is sin, I must repent of it to keep myself clean before going to someone else on matters of their sin.
7When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”
I cant believe how relavent this is to everyday life. Who are we to judge those who do us wrong when we have wronged God a million times more? Only God has the right to judge anyone.
Hey, in my Bible it has verse 1-11 in this little box type thing. it says it wasn’t in the earliest manuscripts. Does that mean that it is still credible or what? Could someone explain that to me?
Anyways,
36So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
Jesus has set us free from sin. No longer are we slaves to sin, but we are set free! Free indeed! We no longer have to face eternal punishment, but instead get to be with Him forever! Now that is one awesome reason to celebrate Christmas! That’s why it’s so important!
8Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
no one really knows what Jesus wrote on the ground, except the people there. what he wrote on the ground was really documented.
I have this great idea that i thought of, I think Jesus might have wrote the ten commandments on the ground. cause God wrote from his finger the Ten Commandments, Jesus might be doing the same with his finger in the sand.
i’ll be back…gotta go
12When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”….
30Even as he spoke, many put their faith in him.
How awesome for these people!!! God let them see and they were alive! All of these pharisees are questioning Him, and as they are doing it, God is just proving His point all the more! He only chooses certain people to believe…and IIIII am one of the lucky ones. :) When I read these verses I automatically thought of this one song by Bebo Norman, Oh Great Light Of The World. I thought of the chorus “Oh great light of the world Fill up my soul! I’m half a man here, So come make me whole Oh great light of the world Come to impart! The light of your grace, To fill up my heart”. How exciting it is to be saved by the one and only God who takes away the sin of the world and makes us seeeeeee. I’m praising Him for my sight! :D
12When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
I love this verse and it is so encouraging. just showing how tose who follow him will never be in darkness. I am so thankful to be a follower of Christ, and be in the light instead of being in the dark like those who do not know Him. This verse is encouraging because it really shows how Christ opens the doors and guides you through life. <3
11 “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
All across the Gospels, Jesus does things like this; he frees the socially condemned and releases the burden of sin from them. But when he tells them that they are free, he assigns them a task and that’s to leave their lives of sin. He doesn’t tell them to just go back to your normal life, or live life to the fullest however you want, he tells them to leave their lives of sin. Expelling any sin out of my life needs to be my sole desire! God has predestined me to be a follower of Him and I need to do my part in making war against any sin in my life! I will be able to do this by sticking my nose in God’s Word every day, multiple times a day, by praying, and by having others keep me accountable.
Maranatha!!!!!!!!!!!!
30Even as he spoke, many put their faith in him.
AMEN!!! I pray that this will happen today. That people will read His word and listen to what our LORD has to say and repent and but their faith in GOD!!! The Lord is coming soon and we need to get His name out there before He does come. :]
***MARANATHA!!!***
31To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Glorious, counter-cultural truth in these verses. Pagan society desperately tries to present itself as “free”: free to do what you want, free to “be yourself.” But true freedom is actually found not in a postmodern “make-your-own-truth” system, but in the truth of the teaching of Jesus Christ. Only through following him can we find true freedom.
I want to rejoice in what that freedom means for me right now and the glorious day in the future when it will be perfectly realized in heaven!
MARANATHA!!!!!!!!!!!!
12When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
I need to make sure im staying out of sin in my life and only stickin witht he world
31To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.
32Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
If we put our faith in God’s word, we will be safe forever. Once a child of God always a child of God and He will protect us from the hand of the devil. We must believeing in His teachings like Jesus is saying. If we believe we will be free. The truth literally will set us free if we believe.
7When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”
I know this scene probably was not humorous at the time…but I found it quite amusing!! Jesus, once again, reveals his authority without even judging the adulteress!! Not even the jews can say that they are sinless, therefore no one can judge. This verse reminded me to be humble as Christ was, and not proud like the jews who kept questioning Jesus!! :D
I read…
I liked verse 7. In this verse, we can see Jesus’ view on sin. He gives us a clear picture of who has the authority to judge sinners. It is clearly not other humans who have sinned but God himself. I pray that we would be less judgmental to others and that we would always remember our own sins when confronting others.
12When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
This is such a good promise that if we are born again, darkness will never be a path we will walk in! We will only walk in Him!!!
7When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”
I liked this verse because here these people were attacking this lady saying she committed adultery and should be allowed to stone her. But Jesus said If you’re without sin then you can be first to throw a stone at her. But everyone there knew they were sinful. And then Jesus said to her to leave her life of sin. Jesus will forgive us no matter what we’ve done if we come to terms with it knowing were a sinner and repent and put our faith in him. I also liked this verse because I feel like sometimes I can judge someone for doing something wrong, but I don’t have the right to judge because I’m not perfect either just like the people didn’t have the right to stone her and to just leave the judging up to God.
25″Who are you?” they asked. “Just what I have been claiming all along,” Jesus replied.
So many people have skewed ideas about who Jesus is. And even churches are in the habit of endorsing a convenient Jesus, a Jesus who is all love and no justice. But Jesus made it very clear Who He is, and those who try to make Him something else are not worshipping Him at all. When evangelizing, this “What do you think about Jesus?” approach is the most effective for me, because it allows me to find out what they really think about Jesus, which will determine the method in which I present the Gospel.
7When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”
its amazing how a simple phrase like this that Jesus said can be sooo convicting. everybody sins even if we think we dont. i like how He is saying that we cant blame others around us for a sin theyre doing when we ourselves are living in sin too. if one person gets punished for their sin, so should we, because we are all equal in God’s eyes, not the worlds, but obviously thats not what matters.
58 “I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!”
Jesus created the world. In John 1 it says that the word was with God, Jesus, and the word was God. So if you look at passages like this with the knowledge that Jesus is God shows that he is extremely humble and patient. He tells the truth of his deity, but does it in a very humble way. Now when Jesus comes for the second time he will be judging the world with fire. He will show his glory to the world and destroy it. So one may ask why Jesus was so humble here because God can be prideful because He’s God. I say one of the reasons is to set an example for us. Lord, let me be humble like you when you came down as a baby in a manger. Amen.
34Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.
35Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever.
36So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
This is an amazing chapter full of so many awesome teachings!! i love this chapter….
When Jesus said that a son(Him) has a permanent place in the family, and the slave(sin) is temporary, it was really convicting to me. Because I’ve let sin try to become permanent and nearly succeed! But since Jesus died for me and I believe that, the truth has set me free! ANd now i strive to not let sin become my master like in Pastor Mike’s sermon a few weeks ago. Jesus Christ is my master and I am “free indeed” from sin! Forever guaranteed a spot in heaven with our Lord!! Praise to the Almighty!!! :D
MARANATHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
32Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
YAYYYY! Amen! Jesus is the truth (John 14:16)! And I am so glad that I am set free from myself and my bondage to sin.
34Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.
mhmm It says the words slave instead of servant in here. Instead of being a slave to sin, I want to be a slave to righteousness and to Jesus Christ! which reminds me of Romans 6 :)
7When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”
wow, Jesus really tells them here, these people are picking the speck in her eye and they cant see the log in their own. this is also a great way that Jesus got them thinking about their own lives by telling them if they have not sinned then they can throw the first stone
c u all soon
12When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
I love this verse! Jesus is the light in my life and I need to be sure I keep following Him. I should shine for Jesus and let others know that He has given me the gift of salvation. This verse is also encouraging because those that follow Jesus will never walk in darkness. God has a plan for me and He will not let me stumble. Therefore I need to give Him the glory He deserves and show Him that I love Him through my actions. Because we’ve all heard that actions speak louder than words. I need to minister to others by example.
35Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever.
I don’t want to be a slave to sin. God is my father and I belong to Him. Marantha! I am free because of His amazing gift.
33They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?”
34Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.
Many unbelievers think that Christianity is about following a bunch of rules that will uncomfortably restrict their lives. This, of course, is a false notion. As Jesus makes clear in these verses, it’s actually quite the opposite. Sin is what enslaves man, not the freeing grace of God. I’m so grateful that my faith in Jesus has freed me from sin and given me eternal life. I want others to know that they don’t have to be a slave to sin any longer. They don’t have to die in their sins like the Jews in this chapter of John. They can live through repentance and faith. I’m reminded of one of the first verses I ever memorized as a kid–the famous Romans 6:23.
There are only two teams you can play for: God’s team or the devil’s team. Jesus is speaking of this in this chapter.
John 8:42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me.
John 8:44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. 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.
Basically, your life is representing whose team you are. I should live my life like I am on God’s team, being obedient to him and his word, and not conforming to the patterns of this world. I want to represent.
God Bless!!
58″I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!”
Wow, this is Jesus claiming to be God! And the Pharisees got it. They picked up stones and wanted to kill him. This is a reference back to the OT when God is talking to Moses out of the burning bush. Moses asks God who he should tell the people sent him and God says to tell the people that “I AM” sent him. Jesus was not a god, he was not just one in purpose with God he truly was God. This is a central doctrine to Christianity. Only God could satisfy God’s wrath. Only God could live the perfect life I am supposed to live. Only God could rise from the dead and stand before God interceding for me. I am thankful this CHRISTmas season that Jesus is GOD!
I love this chapter. Jesus knows how to identify a person’s problem and give then a way to fix it. Wether they follow it or not is their choice.
31To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.
32Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
33They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?”
Ok. Where did all of our 100+ posters go? Come on guys! This verse is great because JESUS is telling us that we need to follow his commands. We have all heard “by grace alone” which is true, but if we then go an live a life of sin how can we be GOD’s? We need to live for GOD.
31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.
32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
This chapter reminded me of a couple of sermons pastor Mike preached at REVIVAL 09: namely, his first and his last (sermons). There are only two teams: God’s and Satan’s; and being a Christian is a lifelong battle. It seems a lot of people are trying to show salvation as something that happens to you and then you’re OK for the rest of your life; but, in reality, it’s only the beginning. There’s something after God’s amazing grace called the Christian life. As pastor Mike said, it’s a battle for the rest of your life. And as Jesus says right here, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.” It’s not just jumping into a life boat and having an easy ride the rest of the way; it’s a marathon, a race to the finish, and it’s not easy. But praise the Lord that He is with us the whole way. And thank you God for sending your Son Jesus Christ so that we can be right with you.
12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
23 But he continued, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.
24 I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins.”
34 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.
So many great verses in this chapter! Jesus is saying that He is the light for us to look toward, our guidance in hard times, a Savior from our sins. He also says that if someone were to to truly follow Jesus, he wouldn’t walk in the darkness (sin). This means that by choosing to follow Jesus and accept Him as my Savior, I am dedicating my life to a life of no compromise and no sin. This isn’t possible, of course, to live without sin completely. Jesus says in verse 23 that He is on a completely different level than us because He is perfect and we live for a flawed world. He also says that if I choose to let sin into my life, it will take over my soul and make me it’s slave. Then, I will die in my sins instead of living forever with God! That’s pretty harsh stuff! I need to work on digging deeper into God’s Word and dedicating my life to have no sin/compromise!
24I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins.”
There is no way to heaven except through Jesus Christ. It’s sad how so many people think that you can just try your best and God will allow you into heaven if you are a good person. they need to know God’s standards, and how else will they know them without a Christian telling them?
24I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins.”
So basically if you don’t believe that Jesus Christ came down on this earth to die for all of our sins and rose from the dead then your going to DIE. In your sins. Another verse that comes to mind is John:14:6 which says I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father except through me. Key verses for anyone that doesn’t understand what it means to become a follower of Jesus Christ. We need to leave our lives of sin behind and start a new life that is holy and pleasing to Jesus Christ as it says in 2 Corinthians 5:17.
7When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”
- this verse states a good thing that most of us oversee. For many of us accuse others of being sinners and for doing wrong things, but instead we should reflect on ourselves first. I like to refer to this as someone who can give good advice but one who cannot take it!!
58″I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!”
I love this clear statement from Jesus about Him being God Himself. When God spoke to Moses in the burning bush, He said His name was “I AM.” Jesus is saying He’s God and that He’s existed far before Abraham was ever born. He, in fact, created Abraham!
31To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.
32Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Jesus is straight up with these new believers..he basically tells them Don’t Stop Standing. Unfortunately, there are so many people who respond to the gospel for a while, they come back from Revival all excited, but they don’t hold to the teaching of Jesus over time. They don’t live a new life that is obedient to what he says. I am praying that in 2010 God will save more at True North who will bear fruit and prove that they have been made new. May he do this through True North and events like Revival: Winter Edition. And during Christmas break may all of us who are really Jesus’ disciples enjoy the freedom that we have from sin!
24I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins.”
this verse is so true I know people that are turning from God and they are just falling into sin. It is so sad but all I can do is pray and try to talk to them. this verse just makes me so glad that I am saved.
16But if I do judge, my decisions are right, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me.
Mmm this instills such a great amount of fear of God in me. Hebrews 10:31 It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. The Bible says I will not be sent into Hell obviously because I am a Christian, but it does say that I will be judged based on what I have done. As this verse says, Jesus’ judgement are perfect. I don’t think I will be able to bare having every sin flash before my eyes. I know I will fall down on my knees in reverence of a holy God who saved me. This thought of being judged encourages me greatly to sin so much less knowing I will be punished!
20He spoke these words while teaching in the temple area near the place where the offerings were put. Yet no one seized him, because his time had not yet come.
All through John, this same phrase occurs.. “because the time had not yet come.” The Pharisees are constantly trying to capture and arrest/kill Jesus, but never are successful until the time God has set for it to happen. No matter what humans do, God’s plan will eventually happen. It is foolish for me to try to make my plan for my life happen, especially if it disagrees with God’s. I need to just let him control like he does, and not try to fight anything. He knows exactly what is best for me, so I just need to serve him and follow his path for my life, not worrying or stressing about things that seem difficult. He will get me through them!
PRAISE THE LORD!!!!
MARANATHA!!!!
11″No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
This verse has the gospel in it! Jesus offers FORGIVENESS for those who repent! What an amazing gift… I think the lesson it is really great too. “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone”- NONE of us are perfect except Jesus, so we need to keep that in mind ALWAYS, especially when confronting our brothers and sisters in Christ.
16 But if I do judge, my decisions are right, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me.
Since Jesus is God, he is holy and just, where he is judgmental (and forgiving) of our sins. People who have been said to that they have sin in their lives will sometimes say that we should not be judging others. I pray that I would be living a sin-free, holy life and to praise him for all he has done for me.
31To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.
Obedience! A lifestyle of obedience should be the pattern of every believer’s life. It doesn’t make sense If we claim to be a follower of Christ, but refuse to do what His Word says. I pray that in 2010 the Lord will continue to reveal areas in my life where I am not obedient to his teachings and that I may live a life of complete obedience!
34Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.
35Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever.
36So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
I love how Jesus explains the idea in these verses! As sinners we are not of God, but he is willing to let us repent and he adopts us into his heavenly family. I am so grateful that God sent his one and only true son to save those who were not yet part of his family. He is my heavenly father and I hope to lead others to Christ to become children of God.
15You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one.
this verse was convicting! wow! Jesus calls out the Pharisees on how they judge with wordly and human standards, and how this is wrong. in 2 Corinthians 5:16a Paul says “So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view.” a wordly view would be judging someone because of their looks, or background, etc. this is something that i have struggled with and sometimes do.
it is easy for me to not witness to someone because i say to myself “this person is an atheist, he will never believe” or “this person is a druggie he has no hope”. what a foolish and unbiblical thing to say! i need to view people as saved or unsaved!
Paul was a Christian killer! he HATED Christians, and he was saved, and was eventually martyred for his faith in Jesus. this goes to show that God can save ANYONE!
i pray that i wouldnt judge anyone on what they look like or what their background is, but view them as saved or unsaved. i pray that i would share with those who are unsaved the gospel, boldly and graciously, and that i would have a biblical view of other people.
THIS CHAPTER IS AMAZING :D
21Once more Jesus said to them, “I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come.”
23But he continued, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.—It’s hard the believe that the Pharisees would not believe what Jesus was saying and they were just rejecting it! They did not realize that Jesus was going somewhere where they would have eternal life but they just rejected Jesus’ words and did not know that they would be dying and not being able to go where Jesus went! I need to be working on making sure that my actions match up with what God intended so that I may die knowing that I will be going with Jesus! Verse 23 is also very true because I know that I can get attached to the things on this earth and this is so not good! I was thinking about that tonight. I am definitely not worthy of what Jesus did for me and in return and I need to be thinking of the things in heaven! I need to get the earthly things out of my life and be striving towards Christ!
MARANATHA!!!
CHRISTmas is almost here!!
12When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
verse twelve is alot like verse 51. “I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.”
This chapter really makes it clear that if you don’t follow Jesus you will die in your sins,but if you follow Jesus you will have eternal life with him. like verse 24 “I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins.” if you don’t believe in Jesus you will surely die.
46Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me?
47He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”
These people kept trying prove him to be guilty of any wrongdoing and kill him because of it, but they couldn’t! Jesus was telling them the whole time exactly who he was and why he was here, but they just would not and could not listen. Their hards were hardened because they were not apart of God’s team, but rather, Satan’s team. I am so thankful that God softened my heart and brought me to repentence and faith! God’s team is where its at!!!!
46Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me?
This verse just reminds me that as a Christian I need to be living above reproach. I need to have no sin in my life that somebody could point out and therefore make me look as if I am not a Christian. I need to make sure that I am living out a Godly life not filled with sin.
44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. 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.
I found this to be a scary verse about the devil and yet it reminded me of why we always need to be on our guard and always watch out for his deceitful tricks he is constantly bringing to us as tests to see if we fall and give in to him. He is a snake and a liar, he tells us things and tries to make us believe, but we must stand firm in God and trust that he will always give us a way out. :)
32Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
I love the absolute-ness of this verse. The truth WILL set you free. Simply the word truth is indicative of how there can only be one objective truth. In a world where truth is morphed into different things, the one thing that does not change is the truth of salvation through Christ alone. Faith and repentance in Christ will set you free. I love how the chapter does not stop there but says that the manifestation of a new life is obedience to the teachings of Jesus. I’m praying that Christmas would be centered on the truth of Christ!
11″No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Mmmmmm, absolutely great verses. I can really relate to these because I didnt know that when you become a Christian you have to turn from ur life of sin and repent. I thought that you could be a Christian and live a life of sin. When I found out I was shocked, and almost sad that I couldn’t live the lust-filled sinful life I had been living. However, once I became a true Christian I now understand that and I can’t possibly return to that old life of sin. If it weren’t for the light of the Lord, we would be damned for eternity!! Praise GOD!!!
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Maranatha!!!!!!!!!!
51I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.”
52At this the Jews exclaimed, “Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that if anyone keeps your word, he will never taste death.
Ok Jesus is the PRO at wording answers in a very confusing, later-on-make-sense, truthful way. I know this is not that legit of a comment, but i just want to point out that i’ve notied this in the past coupla chapters. If you read any of Jesus’ responses he is SPOT-ON in his answers to the pharisees. That wisdom is the only kind of wisdom that has to be from God.
7When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”
This verse makes me step back and evaluate my own life. It’s so easy to point the finger at others, and it’s also hypocritical because we are sometimes guilty of the same sin, just in different situations! So maybe instead of gossiping about that person, we could pray for them or confront them, in a loving way. We are the body of Christ and we should be holding each other accountable! This also reminds me of our forgiving God that loves us so much! I am so thankful that his son died for those sins of ours and we are made white as snow in his eyes.
7When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”
ok this reminds me that everyone has sinned…now I hate sin…I hate my sin and the sin of others….but the truth is we cannot condemn another person because of sin….the truth is we deserve the same condemnation….it is because of God’s grace that we aren’t condemned…now…that does not mean that we say that sin is ok…but rather realize that we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God…rather than condemn one because of their sin we need to pray for them…and show the love of Christ….I mean hey….we can’t pretend that we are God and have the power to condemn….
51I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.”
This verese shows that the word of God is the truth and we must read and study his word, the bible. THe bible is the truth because it is the word of God. If we follow God’s word we shall live forever in Heaven with him
12When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Jesus is the light that guides me in the darkness and keeps me on the path. God is the light that we need to share to the world