John 8:58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
Christmas day is over Friends! That’s it for another year. It wasn’t the white Christmas in my area, that many dream of and yearn for, but it was wet. Rain’s been pouring all day. Can’t say the same for those folks in the U.S Midwest though. The white stuff sure has been flying down there. But regardless of the prevailing weather, I sure hope you all had a wonderful day with friends and family, didn’t overdo the partying, and found some time to ponder on Jesus and His importance to the celebration. However, it’s now Boxing Day! The day for which a lot of people have very anxiously and excitedly waited; the day of dramatic sales, bargains and long lines to return stuff. By the time many of you read this, the crowds would have already descended on the malls and stores with a furor and frenzy worthy of wild beasts, such is the shopping savagery now embedded in our society. But all I can say is, better them than me yes. (smile) I won’t be facing a mall or a store before next week when the madness has settled down some. Anyway, Today’s Bit finds Jesus talking to some Jews who seemed to believe in Him, but after hearing His words, they had serious doubts. ‘If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth will make you free. They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?’ (John 8:31-33) And that’s how the whole shebang started. The Jews weren’t thrilled with Jesus’ words, and He continued to annoy them. ‘Verily, verily I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. I know that ye are Abraham’s seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you. I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father. 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. 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.’ (John 8:34-40) And the argument went back and forth, with Jesus igniting the flame, as He liked to do. At one stage they called Him a Samaritan with a devil, which Jesus refuted and further stirred up the argument by telling them: ‘Verily, verily I say unto you. If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death. Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil (demon). Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death. Art thou greater than our father Abraham which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself?’ (John 8:51-53) Ah Friends, that’s what everybody wanted to know; who was this man going around saying all these contrary sounding things? And you can feel the annoyance rising amongst the Jews. Sadly, Jesus’ words did nothing to calm the rising storm, when He finally told them: ‘Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day, and he saw it, and was glad. Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?’ (John 8:56-57) As usual, Jesus spoke in such riddles that it sometimes confused His listeners, and some of His claims made them real angry. And this next verse is one of those. ‘Jesus saith unto them, Verily, verily I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.’ Hn, hn! Well that brought it to the boiling point. ‘Then they took up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.’ (John 8:59) What a man; our Jesus! The problem was that some of His teachings conflicted with those of the Old Testament, the old Abrahamic covenant that His listeners had been taught for generations. That’s why when Jesus came with His new ideas, His new covenant, they found some of His comments very contentious and at times even blasphemous. But we know that Jesus had no cause to lie or to inflate His position. He was of the Father, and was only doing the Father’s bidding. He’d also been around long before Abraham, as Micah acknowledges. ‘But thou Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.’ (Mic.5:2) Yes Friends, Jesus has been in existence since day one, and will be until eternity, as evidenced by the powerful words of Revelation: ‘I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.’ (Rev.1:8) And that’s an important fact for all believers to wrap their minds securely around; that Jesus being God, existed long before He became man and walked this earth. And likewise, He’ll be around long after man’s final demise. Oh my Friends, please understand that Jesus is real, not a fake; a living Spirit that dwells on the inside of those who believe in Him, and if we keep His words, then they’ll set us free from the hellfire and damnation promised to those who continue to dwell in sin, without any effort at righteousness. Please, let’s not be numbered amongst the latter group. Much LOVE!… yesterday…today…forever… that’s our Saviour’s lifeline…
Christmas day is over Friends! That’s it for another year. It wasn’t the white Christmas in my area, that many dream of and yearn for, but it was wet. Rain’s been pouring all day. Can’t say the same for those folks in the U.S Midwest though. The white stuff sure has been flying down there. But regardless of the prevailing weather, I sure hope you all had a wonderful day with friends and family, didn’t overdo the partying, and found some time to ponder on Jesus and His importance to the celebration. However, it’s now Boxing Day! The day for which a lot of people have very anxiously and excitedly waited; the day of dramatic sales, bargains and long lines to return stuff. By the time many of you read this, the crowds would have already descended on the malls and stores with a furor and frenzy worthy of wild beasts, such is the shopping savagery now embedded in our society. But all I can say is, better them than me yes. (smile) I won’t be facing a mall or a store before next week when the madness has settled down some. Anyway, Today’s Bit finds Jesus talking to some Jews who seemed to believe in Him, but after hearing His words, they had serious doubts. ‘If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth will make you free. They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?’ (John 8:31-33) And that’s how the whole shebang started. The Jews weren’t thrilled with Jesus’ words, and He continued to annoy them. ‘Verily, verily I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. I know that ye are Abraham’s seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you. I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father. 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. 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.’ (John 8:34-40) And the argument went back and forth, with Jesus igniting the flame, as He liked to do. At one stage they called Him a Samaritan with a devil, which Jesus refuted and further stirred up the argument by telling them: ‘Verily, verily I say unto you. If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death. Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil (demon). Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death. Art thou greater than our father Abraham which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself?’ (John 8:51-53) Ah Friends, that’s what everybody wanted to know; who was this man going around saying all these contrary sounding things? And you can feel the annoyance rising amongst the Jews. Sadly, Jesus’ words did nothing to calm the rising storm, when He finally told them: ‘Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day, and he saw it, and was glad. Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?’ (John 8:56-57) As usual, Jesus spoke in such riddles that it sometimes confused His listeners, and some of His claims made them real angry. And this next verse is one of those. ‘Jesus saith unto them, Verily, verily I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.’ Hn, hn! Well that brought it to the boiling point. ‘Then they took up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.’ (John 8:59) What a man; our Jesus! The problem was that some of His teachings conflicted with those of the Old Testament, the old Abrahamic covenant that His listeners had been taught for generations. That’s why when Jesus came with His new ideas, His new covenant, they found some of His comments very contentious and at times even blasphemous. But we know that Jesus had no cause to lie or to inflate His position. He was of the Father, and was only doing the Father’s bidding. He’d also been around long before Abraham, as Micah acknowledges. ‘But thou Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.’ (Mic.5:2) Yes Friends, Jesus has been in existence since day one, and will be until eternity, as evidenced by the powerful words of Revelation: ‘I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.’ (Rev.1:8) And that’s an important fact for all believers to wrap their minds securely around; that Jesus being God, existed long before He became man and walked this earth. And likewise, He’ll be around long after man’s final demise. Oh my Friends, please understand that Jesus is real, not a fake; a living Spirit that dwells on the inside of those who believe in Him, and if we keep His words, then they’ll set us free from the hellfire and damnation promised to those who continue to dwell in sin, without any effort at righteousness. Please, let’s not be numbered amongst the latter group. Much LOVE!… yesterday…today…forever… that’s our Saviour’s lifeline…
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