Who is your father?
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John 8
38. I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father.
39 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.
41 Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one
Father, [even] God.
42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came
from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.
43 Why do ye not understand my speech? [even] because ye cannot hear my word.
44 Ye are of [your] father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the
beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he
speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
45 And because I tell [you] the truth, ye believe me not.
46. Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me?
47 He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear [them] not, because ye are not of God.
48 Then answered the Jews, and said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a
devil?
49 Jesus answered, I have not a devil; but I honour my Father, and ye do dishonour me.
50 And I seek not mine own glory: there is one that seeketh and judgeth.
51. Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.
52 Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the
prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death.
53 Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest
thou thyself?
54 Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of
whom ye say, that he is your God:
55 Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like
unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying.
When my son was about 21 years old, I was on my way out one morning, and I passed him as he sat at
a table diligently studying his Bible. An hour or so later, as I came back in, he was playing his guitar and
singing – preparing to lead worship in church the next day.
Suddenly it occurred to me – that looks just like me. My son is doing exactly what he has watched me do
for years. He is imitating me.
When people who know me well see my son, they say, “Well, there is no question whose son that is. He
is just like his father.”
This is exactly what Jesus is saying.
I do what I have seen my father do, and you do what you have seen your father do.
And then he said, you claim to be children of Abraham, but if you were, then you would act like Abraham.
They were descendants of Abraham, but they did not take on the nature of Abraham. You see,
physically, you are the child of the one whose blood-line you come from. But spiritually, you are the
child of the one whom you pattern your life after.
Jesus said, “You do the deeds of your father.” Character is not inherited. It is developed by decisions
and actions based on those decisions. Your character shows who your true father is. Who are you
patterning your life after?
Let me tell you, there are 3 major enemies of your faith – Satan, self, and society.
Satan
Satan is the enemy of our souls. He hates God; he rebelled against God; and he hates us because
God loves us. His goal is to destroy every Christian believer. He will do that any way he can.
He will lie to you; and he will lie about you. He will tempt you; then accuse you; then condemn you; then
he will make sure you are exposed so everyone else will think bad of you.
He will mislead you and deceive you. He will pull you away from God in any direction he can – it doesn’t
matter – as long as it leads you away from God.
Satan will even use other believers and religious things to distract you. He will use the Bible, wrongly
interpreted to mislead you. (Remember, he tried it with Jesus.)
Satan’s goal is to keep you from getting close to God and he will even use good things to accomplish his
goal. He doesn’t care how much good you do, as long as you don’t get close to God and obey him
perfectly.
Society
Society is the world. The Bible tells us to :
1Jo 2:15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father
is not in him.
1Jo 2:16 For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of
what he has and does-- comes not from the Father but from the world.
1Jo 2:17 The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives for ever. (NIV)
Society wants us to conform to it, because society is threatened by anything that is different. Sinners
are always more comfortable when others are sinning, too. When you are different – when you life holy
in a sinful environment, it makes sinners uncomfortable.
Jesus said:
Joh 15:19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the
world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. (NIV)
I was talking to someone about a movie recently. I mentioned that the story was good, but I didn’t like all
the bad language and sexual content and I wish they would leave all that out. The person said, “But that’
s the way Americans talk and act.”
And I said, “No, that’s the way the movie makers want you, and us, to think, because if they can get us
thinking that is the normal way to act, then we will all conform to their way of thinking.”
You see, the media can control and direct the way society develops by setting new standards for us and
repeating those things until we think they are normal.
But we have a standard already. If you are going to conform to something, listen to this:
Ro 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of
your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect
will. (NIV)
Ro 8:29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that
he might be the firstborn among many brothers. (NIV)
Don’t conform to the world – conform to Christ.
If I mix up some cement, and pour it into a jar and leave it long enough to harden, then it will look like
that jar. If I stay in Albania long enough, I will probably start acting like an Albanian. If you stay in the
wrong environment long enough, you will conform to that environment.
That’s why we should stay in the Word of God. That is why we should stay in Christian fellowship. That
is why Paul counseled us:
Heb 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some [is]; but
exhorting [one another]: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. (AV)
Satan will destroy us. Society will weaken us. But by far, our most dangerous enemy is –
SELF.
Why did man sin in the Garden of Eden? Self-interest.
Ge 3:4 "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. Ge 3:5 "For God knows that when you
eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." Ge 3:6 When the
woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for
gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and
he ate it. (NIV)
Man desired something that did not belong to him – but he took it anyway.
Sin is always based on selfishness.
1Jo 2:16 For all that [is] in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life,
is not of the Father, but is of the world. (AV)
I want what makes me feel good.
I want what I see.
I want what promotes me.
Look around. What do you see? Most people live by this creed. I’ll take care of me and everybody else
will just have to do the same.
When we live like that, we are no better than animals.
The Bible says:
Ro 14:19 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.
Ro 14:21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to
fall.
Ro 15:1 We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves.
1Co 8:9 Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling-block to
the weak.
1Co 10:24 Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.
1Co 10:33 even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the
good of many, so that they may be saved.
1Co 12:25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern
for each other.
Jas 2:8 If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbour as yourself," you are
doing right.
In our passage from last week, we read that we should not live for ourselves, but live for God.
Now, what does all of this mean for us? Just this! If we let Satan, society, or selfishness direct our
actions, we will be part of the problem instead of part of the solution.
This world will never change unless we as individuals change. As long as we wait for someone else to
do it, it will never get done. It will take individual acts of kindness and selflessness to change society.
If we think, “Everyone else is lying, cheating, stealing, pushing themselves ahead of everybody else.
What difference will it make if I change? I am only one person.”
Well, that’s true. But one person brought sin into this world (Adam), and one person died for the sin of
all (Jesus) – and one person took the gospel all over the world of his day (Paul) – one person decided
to care for the street orphans of England (George Mueller) – one person decided to care for the
homeless of Calcutta (Mother Teresa).
One person can make a great difference if that person is willing to become different and act in a
different way. Anyone can act just like everybody else around them. It takes a person of faith to be
different and make a difference. It takes a person who is willing to change and conform to God’s
standards.
38. I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father.
39 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.
41 Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one
Father, [even] God.
42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came
from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.
43 Why do ye not understand my speech? [even] because ye cannot hear my word.
44 Ye are of [your] father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the
beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he
speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
45 And because I tell [you] the truth, ye believe me not.
46. Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me?
47 He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear [them] not, because ye are not of God.
48 Then answered the Jews, and said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a
devil?
49 Jesus answered, I have not a devil; but I honour my Father, and ye do dishonour me.
50 And I seek not mine own glory: there is one that seeketh and judgeth.
51. Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.
52 Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the
prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death.
53 Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest
thou thyself?
54 Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of
whom ye say, that he is your God:
55 Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like
unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying.
When my son was about 21 years old, I was on my way out one morning, and I passed him as he sat at
a table diligently studying his Bible. An hour or so later, as I came back in, he was playing his guitar and
singing – preparing to lead worship in church the next day.
Suddenly it occurred to me – that looks just like me. My son is doing exactly what he has watched me do
for years. He is imitating me.
When people who know me well see my son, they say, “Well, there is no question whose son that is. He
is just like his father.”
This is exactly what Jesus is saying.
I do what I have seen my father do, and you do what you have seen your father do.
And then he said, you claim to be children of Abraham, but if you were, then you would act like Abraham.
They were descendants of Abraham, but they did not take on the nature of Abraham. You see,
physically, you are the child of the one whose blood-line you come from. But spiritually, you are the
child of the one whom you pattern your life after.
Jesus said, “You do the deeds of your father.” Character is not inherited. It is developed by decisions
and actions based on those decisions. Your character shows who your true father is. Who are you
patterning your life after?
Let me tell you, there are 3 major enemies of your faith – Satan, self, and society.
Satan
Satan is the enemy of our souls. He hates God; he rebelled against God; and he hates us because
God loves us. His goal is to destroy every Christian believer. He will do that any way he can.
He will lie to you; and he will lie about you. He will tempt you; then accuse you; then condemn you; then
he will make sure you are exposed so everyone else will think bad of you.
He will mislead you and deceive you. He will pull you away from God in any direction he can – it doesn’t
matter – as long as it leads you away from God.
Satan will even use other believers and religious things to distract you. He will use the Bible, wrongly
interpreted to mislead you. (Remember, he tried it with Jesus.)
Satan’s goal is to keep you from getting close to God and he will even use good things to accomplish his
goal. He doesn’t care how much good you do, as long as you don’t get close to God and obey him
perfectly.
Society
Society is the world. The Bible tells us to :
1Jo 2:15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father
is not in him.
1Jo 2:16 For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of
what he has and does-- comes not from the Father but from the world.
1Jo 2:17 The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives for ever. (NIV)
Society wants us to conform to it, because society is threatened by anything that is different. Sinners
are always more comfortable when others are sinning, too. When you are different – when you life holy
in a sinful environment, it makes sinners uncomfortable.
Jesus said:
Joh 15:19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the
world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. (NIV)
I was talking to someone about a movie recently. I mentioned that the story was good, but I didn’t like all
the bad language and sexual content and I wish they would leave all that out. The person said, “But that’
s the way Americans talk and act.”
And I said, “No, that’s the way the movie makers want you, and us, to think, because if they can get us
thinking that is the normal way to act, then we will all conform to their way of thinking.”
You see, the media can control and direct the way society develops by setting new standards for us and
repeating those things until we think they are normal.
But we have a standard already. If you are going to conform to something, listen to this:
Ro 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of
your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect
will. (NIV)
Ro 8:29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that
he might be the firstborn among many brothers. (NIV)
Don’t conform to the world – conform to Christ.
If I mix up some cement, and pour it into a jar and leave it long enough to harden, then it will look like
that jar. If I stay in Albania long enough, I will probably start acting like an Albanian. If you stay in the
wrong environment long enough, you will conform to that environment.
That’s why we should stay in the Word of God. That is why we should stay in Christian fellowship. That
is why Paul counseled us:
Heb 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some [is]; but
exhorting [one another]: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. (AV)
Satan will destroy us. Society will weaken us. But by far, our most dangerous enemy is –
SELF.
Why did man sin in the Garden of Eden? Self-interest.
Ge 3:4 "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. Ge 3:5 "For God knows that when you
eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." Ge 3:6 When the
woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for
gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and
he ate it. (NIV)
Man desired something that did not belong to him – but he took it anyway.
Sin is always based on selfishness.
1Jo 2:16 For all that [is] in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life,
is not of the Father, but is of the world. (AV)
I want what makes me feel good.
I want what I see.
I want what promotes me.
Look around. What do you see? Most people live by this creed. I’ll take care of me and everybody else
will just have to do the same.
When we live like that, we are no better than animals.
The Bible says:
Ro 14:19 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.
Ro 14:21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to
fall.
Ro 15:1 We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves.
1Co 8:9 Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling-block to
the weak.
1Co 10:24 Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.
1Co 10:33 even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the
good of many, so that they may be saved.
1Co 12:25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern
for each other.
Jas 2:8 If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbour as yourself," you are
doing right.
In our passage from last week, we read that we should not live for ourselves, but live for God.
Now, what does all of this mean for us? Just this! If we let Satan, society, or selfishness direct our
actions, we will be part of the problem instead of part of the solution.
This world will never change unless we as individuals change. As long as we wait for someone else to
do it, it will never get done. It will take individual acts of kindness and selflessness to change society.
If we think, “Everyone else is lying, cheating, stealing, pushing themselves ahead of everybody else.
What difference will it make if I change? I am only one person.”
Well, that’s true. But one person brought sin into this world (Adam), and one person died for the sin of
all (Jesus) – and one person took the gospel all over the world of his day (Paul) – one person decided
to care for the street orphans of England (George Mueller) – one person decided to care for the
homeless of Calcutta (Mother Teresa).
One person can make a great difference if that person is willing to become different and act in a
different way. Anyone can act just like everybody else around them. It takes a person of faith to be
different and make a difference. It takes a person who is willing to change and conform to God’s
standards.