Who are you?
John 8:25
[25] So they said to him, “Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “Just what I have been telling you from the beginning.
Good question right? Who are you?
Two sides to that question.
- Who is Jesus?
- Who are you?
I think it was a few weeks ago and I asked a question to adults about our kids and our desire for them. Many good answers out there.
That they would be a good person.
That they would work hard.
That they would be a good spouse.
That they would be a good parent.
That they would be a Christian.
Those are all good, right?
Let’s come back to that.
Let’s pick up our series on the book of John here in John 8
John 8:1-30
[1] but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. [2] Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. [3] The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst [4] they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. [5] Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” [6] This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. [7] And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” [8] And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. [9] But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. [10] Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” [11] She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”]]
I Am the Light of the World
[12] Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” [13] So the Pharisees said to him, “You are bearing witness about yourself; your testimony is not true.” [14] Jesus answered, “Even if I do bear witness about myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. [15] You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. [16] Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me. [17] In your Law it is written that the testimony of two people is true. [18] I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me.” [19] They said to him therefore, “Where is your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” [20] These words he spoke in the treasury, as he taught in the temple; but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come.
[21] So he said to them again, “I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.” [22] So the Jews said, “Will he kill himself, since he says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?” [23] He said to them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. [24] I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.” [25] So they said to him, “Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “Just what I have been telling you from the beginning. [26] I have much to say about you and much to judge, but he who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him.” [27] They did not understand that he had been speaking to them about the Father. [28] So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me. [29] And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.” [30] As he was saying these things, many believed in him.
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Jesus is answering again who He is. Again it’s like he’s constantly on trial. Remember we have 7 “I am” statements.
“I am the bread of life” (John 6:35).
“I am the light of the world” (John 8:12).
“I am the door” (John 10:7).
“I am the good shepherd” (John 10:11, 14).
“I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25).
“I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6).
“I am the true vine” (John 15:1, 5).
Why is “I am” so important?
From a biblical perspective
God appeared to Moses in the burning bush and told him to go to Egypt to lead the Israelites out of slavery. In response, Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” (Exodus 3:13).
God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you’” (Exodus 3:14).
I AM is the ultimate statement of self-sufficiency, self-existence, and immediate presence. God’s existence is not contingent upon anyone else. His plans are not contingent upon any circumstances. He promises that He will be what He will be; that is, He will be the eternally constant God. He stands, ever-present and unchangeable, completely sufficient in Himself to do what He wills to do and to accomplish what He wills to accomplish.
From a personal perspective
Remember earlier I was saying something about where I asked a question about our kids and our desire for them. That they would be a good person.
That they would work hard.
That they would be a good spouse.
That they would be a good parent.
That they would be a Christian.
……
I left one out that I recall vividly and it was Marcia who said this.
She said she wants our kids to know their identity.
Here’s your connection to today. You see Jesus without a doubt knows His identity and His job to do. He is clear, consistent and unwavering. The most important thing is that He is God in the flesh and that He’s come to earth to save you.
“Fight one more round. When your feet are so tired that you have to shuffle back to the centre of the ring, fight one more round. When your arms are so tired that you can hardly lift your hands to come on guard, fight one more round. When your nose is bleeding and your eyes are black and you are so tired you wish your opponent would crack you one on the jaw and put you to sleep, fight one more round – remembering that the man who always fights one more round is never whipped.”
― James Corbett (Heavyweight Champion of the World)
- If you know who He is you have the most valuable thing you could ever own.
- If you know who you are (in Him) then you have what I think is missing in many today.
Let me explain.
In the book, “I Don’t have Enough Faith to be an Atheist,” Frank Turek and Norman Geisler point out the 5 questions every worldview must answer. They’re the most basic questions of life.
Origin – Where did I come from?
Identity – Who am I?
Meaning – Why am I here?
Morality – How should I live?
Destiny – Where am I going?
The world says
Origin – Where did I come from? A cosmic accident, evolution, chance
Identity – Who am I? An accident, or a pleasure seeker since it will all end and I just disappear. Or maybe I try to be nice and avoid all pain. I use every chance I get to avoid the world and its pain by medication or a thrill or something new.
Meaning – Why am I here? Pleasure or maybe to do “good”
Morality – How should I live? Get whatever I can or “do good”
Destiny – Where am I going? Heaven if I’m good and believe in that or I simply disappear into nothing. Float away on a cloud.
Do you see how wrong those are and how they lead us into trouble? These are the troubles we are in. I mean we all know that the Devil and his schemes are behind this right? That the world sees the church as the enemy? The world sees Jesus as the enemy! And the world lies to you about who you should be.
Christian
Origin – Where did I come from?
Genesis 1:1
[1] In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
Identity – Who am I?
Genesis 1:27
[27] So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
Meaning – Why am I here?
Genesis 2:15
[15] The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.
Morality – How should I live?
Matthew 22:35-40
[35] And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. [36] “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” [37] And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. [38] This is the great and first commandment. [39] And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. [40] On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
Destiny – Where am I going?
Revelation 21:1-8
[1] Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. [2] And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. [3] And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. [4] He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
[5] And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” [6] And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. [7] The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. [8] But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
Like last week I walked you through scripture but want to make sure we all understand the impact here.
Again, If Jesus knows who He is and what He’s to do.
- I ask, do you know who He is?
- Do you know who you are?
Who are we in Christ?
The changes we experience as we accept Christ are so radical we are considered “new.” Second Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” We are not cleaned out or covered over; we are new. This newness manifests itself in our spiritual condition, our relationships, and our hearts.
Spiritually, in Christ we are alive for the first time. Ephesians 2:1 describes the old self as “dead in [its] trespasses and sins.” Our new self is at peace with God (Romans 5:1) and alive in Christ (Ephesians 2:4-5). In addition, God has conformed us to His image (Romans 8:29), and releases us from condemnation (Romans 8:1).
In our relationship with God, we are no longer His enemies, we are His children. Romans 3:10-11 describes the old self: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.” Romans 5:10 describes the old self as enemies of God. Hosea 2:23 (NIV), however, predicts: “I will say to those called ‘Not my people,’ ‘You are my people’; and they will say, ‘You are my God.'” And Galatians 3:26 announces the arrival of our new position in Christ: “for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.”
With regard to other people, in Christ we are part of a family. Where once we were “strangers and aliens,” we are now “fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God” (Ephesians 2:19). The old self is alone, but the new is part of “one body, and each member belongs to all the others” (Romans 12:5 NIV). Not only a part, but an irreplaceable part (1 Corinthians 12:18) of a cohesive whole (1 Corinthians 12:25-26).
Personally, our new hearts mean our character can change. We become less concerned with the world, and more concerned with living as God intends (Romans 12:2). We care more about others, and less about ourselves (Philippians 2:3-4). When we accepted Christ, God automatically took us as His children and established us into the church family. Our heart changes, however, are gradual (2 Corinthians 3:18). We possess a new heart (Ezekiel 11:19), but we need to intentionally train it (2 Peter 1:5-2). This is only possible because the new self is released from sin and death and free to follow God (Romans 8:6-8).
In Christ we are a new creation, and this newness affects every area of our lives. For the first time, we become spiritually alive. We go from being God’s enemies to His children. We have a new life as a part of a new family. And we are free to follow God and care about others. In Christ, we become more like Christ. You become who you were meant to be..
“The Christian Gospel is that I am so flawed that Jesus had to die for me, yet I am so loved and valued that Jesus was glad to die for me. This leads to deep humility and deep confidence at the same time. It undermines both swaggering and sniveling. I cannot feel superior to anyone, and yet I have nothing to prove to anyone. I do not think more of myself nor less of myself. Instead, I think of myself less.”
-Tim Keller
