JUNE 26, 2025 – ABRAHAM’S DESCENDANTS

READ: John 8:30–59: … If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham. But now you seek to kill Me … Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad. …

Many listeners accept that Jesus is the Christ. But that doesn’t necessarily mean they have true faith in Him as their Savior, who wants to free them from the guilt of sin. It remains crucial to discover His grace and truth from God’s Word while following Jesus. This requires rebirth (John 1:12–13; 3:3). Yet most do not understand this.

They consider themselves descendants of Abraham (v.33). But Jesus says: you are slaves to sin and need the deliverance that I can give. If you appeal to Abraham, then why do you want to kill Me? I speak what I have seen from My Father, and you do the same. Therefore, your father is not Abraham, but the devil (v.44). Abraham never killed a man who spoke the truth.

If God were your Father, you would love Me. But you don’t want to hear My word. As children of the devil, you want to do the devil’s desires—and that is to murder people. He did so from the beginning. In him is no truth, only lies.

He is even the father of lies: all lying and deceit comes from him. Because you have the devil as your father, you do not believe My words, which are truth. Can you convict Me of sin? Then why don’t you believe Me? Because you are not from God (v.47).

The Jews now accuse Jesus of being a bastard, a Samaritan, and possessed by a demon. Again, Jesus points to His Father: He will judge and honor Me. But He also says as good news: “If anyone keeps My word, he shall never see death forever!” (v.51).

The Jews fiercely oppose this, referring to Abraham, but Jesus refutes it. Abraham looked forward to Him and rejoiced in His coming! Then they want to stone Jesus, but He walks out of the temple among them.

Who is Abraham to us? Why?                                                                       

Sing: Ps. 73:8