Tonight we are going to look at John 8:31-58. In the first part of John 8, we find the story of Jesus at the temple and the Pharisees bring the adulterous woman to him. Can anyone give a quick summary of this story? Then after that we find Jesus still at the temple teaching the people that God his Father is with him and that everything that he says is validated by God and is from God.
Read John 8:31-36. What is the main point that Jesus is getting at here?
Lets think about slavery for a minute. Have you ever considered yourself a slave to sin? What does that even mean? What do you think it is about sin that causes us to be enslaved by it? What does Jesus say is the way to break free from sin? Do you think that really works? Have you seen any specific examples in your life that makes it easier to believe Jesus here?
Read verses 37-47. What are the main points here?
Everyone at the temple claimed that Abraham was their father. This goes back to the Old Testament and a promise by God that Abraham would be the father of many nations. But then he goes on to say that they don t listen to Abrahams teaching, they listen to the father of lies. What are some things today that we do that blatantly go against God s teaching, but are culturally acceptable?
In verse 41, the people claim not to be "illegitimate". What point are they making here and how is this same thing still going on today?
Read verses 48-59. How does the chapter finish up? What is the Jews first response to Jesus calling them out? Do you find yourself acting like that when you have been told you are doing something wrong? What would be an example of that?
In verse 51 Jesus says that if anyone keeps his word, they will never see death. What kind of death is Jesus talking about?
What was the significance of Jesus saying "I am" when questioned about whether he had seen Abraham, and why did the Pharisees respond by picking up stones to kill him?
As a recap, we see how Jesus interacted with these Jews at the temple. These were supposed to be the people who followed his laws and really knew him, and it ends up that they didn’t even recognize the God that they had supposedly worshiped for most of their lives. I think that is a good lesson for us today. Don‘t be so caught up in the slavery of sin that the God of the universe shows up at your front door and you don't even realize it.