When You Have the Devil for a Father - Who's Yo Daddy?

Temple Baptist Church - 4-26-2023

John 8:31-48

 

Introduction:

 

A.  The Book of John portrays the Deity of Christ, the Eagle.  It begins with the eternality of Christ seen in chapter one and also 8:

 

John 1:1-2  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  (2)  The same was in the beginning with God.

 

John 8:58  Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.

 

B.  We saw last week that many believed but, to be consistent with Matthew 7:12-14, many more did not believe.

 

Matthew 7:12-14  Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.  (13)  Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:  (14)  Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

 

C.  Verse 33.  Though they could have believed and chose not to, they continued to press Christ as to who He truly was. 

 

1.  Their answer to verse 32 was that were Abraham’s seed and did not need to be freed because they had never been in physical bondage.

 

2.  They never faced the fact that they were sinners by birth as well as by choice.  The seed of Abraham was to the lost just a sign of being a Hebrew by birth.  They though that gave the special merit with God.  The Nation of Israel was God’s covenant people, but individual Jews were only His by a new birth.

 

D.  Verse 39, 41.  They claimed Abraham as their father in verse 39 and God their Father in verse 41.  Their thought was that their relationship with God was established upon their physical birth family and national heritage.  This was a total rejection of both the Son of God and therefore God the Father.

 

E.  If they had known Christ, they would have known the Father. 

 

John 8:19  Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also.

 

John 10:14  I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.

 

F.  Verse 44.  The Lord’s indictment.  “Ye are of your father the devil.”  I find only two fathers listed here so which one will be you father: the God the Father or the “god of this world,” the devil. 

 

G. When the devil is your daddy, you will have these 13 characteristics.  13 is the number of ill omens.

 

1.  Verse 34.  They will continually be in bondage to sin.  “Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.”  (God’s children will be free from the bondage of sin.)

 

2.  Verse 35.  They will eventually leave the church with some lame excuse.  “And the servant abideth not in the house for ever”…

 

3.  Verse 36.  They will never be truly free indeed.  “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” (Indeed – to become clean)  (God’s children will become clean and not dirty.)

 

4.  Verses 37, 40.  They will become the enemies of God.  “seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.”  (God’s children will be friends of God, not His enemies.)

 

5.  Verses 39-40.  They will never have a saving faith in Christ.  “They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham.  (40)  But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham.”  (God’s children will have faith in Christ and Christ alone.)

 

6.  Verse 42.  They will never have a love for Christ Jesus.  “If God were your Father, ye would love me”  (God’s children, having not seen Him, will love Him.)

 

7.  Verse 43.  They will not hear the Word of God.  “even because ye cannot hear my word.”  (God’s children have both the outer and inner hearing of God’s Word.)

 

8.  Verse 44.  They take on the characteristics of the devil and the world.  “the lusts of your father ye will do.”  (God’s children will be transformed from glory to glory through the knowledge of God.)

 

9.  Verse 44.  They will reject everything that is spiritual.  “and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him”  (God’s children will not only accept truth, they will abide in God’s truth.)

 

10.  Verse 44.  They will lie to themselves and others.  “When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar”

 

11.  Verse 45.  They will become blinded to the glorious gospel.  “I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.”  (God’s children see Him and this world through spiritual eyes that behold and accept spiritual truth.)

 

12.  Verse 46.  They will speak evil of the Christ.  “Which of you convinceth me of sin?”  (God’s children will not speak evil of their wonderful LORD!)

 

13.  Verses 47.  They will have no love for the things of God and fall in love with the world.  “ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.”  (God’s children may fail at times but they will continue to have a love for the things of God that will bring them to repentance and restoration.)

 

Who’s your daddy?