Sermon Exposing the Big Lie John 8:36-44Title slide
The Father of Lies…Man this is really tense…
There’s seems to be a huge row going on. And Jesus,
the young rabbi… is arguing and debating again…
with other Jewish leaders…
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all of them are proud to call themselves… the children of Abraham… All of them insistent… their only father is God.
So why is Jesus so angry? Why is he calling his opponents… the children of the Father of Lies…
Why does Jesus say
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‘If God were your Father, you’d love me... but you’re from your father the devil...and you choose to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the very beginning... he doesn’t stand in the truth, because there’s no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he’s a liar and the father of lies.’
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Sounds very harsh doesn’t it. Didn’t Jesus say ‘Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you’ll find rest for your souls?
To call his opponents the children of the Devil…
must mean Jesus is incredibly provoked… must mean a huge amount is at stake…
it must mean his adversaries… are teaching a very very dangerous and misleading yoke.
And they were…
while Jesus was preaching peace… teaching his followers to love their enemies…to turn the other cheek…to overcome evil with love…some rabbis were campaigning for the violent overthrow… of their Roman occupiers… and Jesus says they’re refusing to listen to his words…
And I believe from Jesus point of view…they’d bought into a terrible lie. A lie that had nothing to do… with God’s kingdom or God’s will. A lie that had something to do with…the father of lies. [pause]
Who is the father of lies... the originator...
the source of all lies...
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well of course in Israel’s story...it was the serpent ... the deceiver...the author of the first lie in the Garden of Eden...a crafty creature with a forked tongue...a creature that made the first humans doubt God...
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“You won’t surely die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows... when you eat of it... your eyes will be opened, and you’ll be just like God...knowing good and evil.
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The serpent’s lies? Heaps of them...
You won’t die... You can’t trust God...and the biggest of all ... the lie that appealed to their vanity and pride...
you don’t need God...God isn’t God at all...you can be just like God yourself... [pause]
In Israel’s story...
that crafty deceiver in the Garden...
symbolises everything...every lie...that tempts us to turn away... from the absolute authority and eternal love... of God.
But the serpent was always just one of God’s creatures. Just a mealy mouthed little snake telling lies...Adam and Eve’s mistake was believing the creature...believing it had any wisdom... to offer at all.
Through most of their history the Jewish people didn’t think of the serpent in the garden as Satan or the Devil.
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In fact for most of their history Ha-Satan...
is the title not the name...of an angel in God’s service. Ha satan as the angel planted by God in the road of Balaam’s donkey. Ha Satan is the accuser...the chief prosecutor... in the heavenly court portrayed in the drama of book of Job... the one who challenges human faithfulness to God.
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The Hebrew word Satan means adversary סטנא
In ancient Israel’s story... ha-satan didn’t make evil happen...the angel just pointed out to God... the evil inclinations and actions of humans.
Ha-satan had no power... unless humans did bad things.
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But by the time Jesus lived...some Jewish groups had a very different understanding...
of who Satan was... they taught... Satan was the angel leader...of an awesome force... in heaven and on earth... that openly defied God...
and they taught that any political or religious enemy was a servant of Satan.
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But Jesus was teaching his followers to pray...
For God’s kingdom come on earth just as it is in heaven...
The lie...about some awesome force in heaven that was taking on God...the lie that Israel’s enemies on earth were working for this diabolical force...
In the first century...this destructive view of reality... was whipping up violent opposition against Rome... and this misleading worldview would cost Judaism its most sacred shrine...and tens of thousands of Jews would die...
especially those... who taught that war with Rome was the earthly equivalent... of a final conflict between the forces of good and evil...
in the heavenly realm.
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These who argued this way... believed God would be on their side no matter what...and they believed they were responsible...
for destroying the forces of evil... on earth.
Those who anticipated a violent final conflagration in which their enemies would suffer...Well, they’d forgotten God’s promise to Abraham... that his children were to be
a blessing to all nations. And so in our story today we hear Jesus say...
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I know you’re Abraham's descendants. Yet you’re ready to kill me...a man who’s told you the truth I heard from God...
If God were your Father...you’d love me,
for I came from God ... your father’s the deceiver who’s opposed to God... in wanting to kill me you’re working for him...he was a murderer from the beginning. A liar and the father of lies.
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These guys want to see a showdown with the Romans...but Jesus is preaching peace...Jesus is teaching... love your enemies...over come evil with love...
Jesus is in the way as far as they’re concerned Jesus is getting in the way... of their plans for a final conflict... between good and evil...
Jesus has to be got... out of the way.
They’ve abandoned God’s promise to their ancestor Abraham... in favour of the Father of Lies – who’d whipped them up... into such a frenzy against the Romans...
they’d actually bring on their own destruction.
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This twisted view of reality... had a devastating effects on the nation of Israel...
And the lie... that we are the good guys on God’s side fighting the forces of evil... is still being taught and believed today...this teaching that... our enemies are in league with the devil...is still roaming the earth... slithering its way through earthly politics and religions... in the east and in the west...used as a way to justify vilification attacks and murder... of an appalling number of men women and children. Wiping out families and communities.
When we believe this lie... we’re enslaved to the Father of lies...the deceiver who’d have us overcome the evil we see in others... with evil itself...
In Israel’s history the Moabites, Edomites, Philistines and other enemies... would evolve from being the dehumanized butt of Israel's humor... to the demonized enemy...
Which... if possible... must be annihilated, as ordered by divine command.
This process of demonisation would ultimately extend from foreign nations...
to so-called heretics within Israel itself...
the "enemy within" I guess some thought Jesus was the enemy within. [pause]
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The imagery... of the End Time and Final Battle...has captivated Jews and Christians… since the imagery of the Prophet Daniel’s dreams… imagery that receives its finishing touches…
in the book of Revelation.
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And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Revelation 20: 7-10
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When this imagery is literalized into a lie...
into a way of viewing the actions of anyone who disagrees with us... any atrocity can be justified...
from crucifixion... to invasion... to suicide bombing.
And Jesus says
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I am the way the truth and the life.
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Jesus way... is the way of justice mercy compassion and peace... a way where evil is defeated with love. A sacrificial way...
of life... not death.
And that’s why we read in the book of 1 John...
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Dear friends, don’t believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they’re from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.’
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Just as Jesus did… we have to challenge the lie at every turn or we risk being enslaved by it. We are under Jesus’ yoke and so we test every spirit for consistency with his life and his teaching … We continue to pray as Jesus taught us…that God’s will be done on earth…
as it is in heaven…rejecting every lie that leads to war and to death…every lie that demonises others…and denies they’re made in the image of God…every lie that makes us grow up hating ourselves, or refusing to love others.
This… John says… is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges Jesus as Messiah has lived among us… is from God…every spirit that urges you to follow his teaching to
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‘Love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever doesn’t love doesn’t know God...because God is love.’
