Let us again turn to God as He
reveals Himself here in His Holy Word and I want to direct you
to those words we were reading at the end of the 8th chapter
in the Gospel according to St. John. Our text is found here
then in John 8 and verse 58, Jesus said unto them, Verily,
verily, I say unto you, before Abram was, I am. John 8, 58, Jesus said unto them, Verily,
verily, I say unto you, before Abram was, I am. Remarkable chapter this in the
sense in which we see the Lord Jesus time and again declaring
himself to be Jehovah the Great I am that I am. We of course
also read that portion in Exodus 3 where the Lord declares his
name to his servant Moses I am that I am. And so here, God manifest
in the flesh, the Lord Jesus, how He owns that very name. We turn back to verse 24, He
says, I said therefore unto you that ye shall die in your sins,
for if you believe not that I am. The He is in italics, it's been
introduced by the translators, He literally says If ye believe
not that I am, ye shall die in your sins. And then amazingly,
verse 28, Jesus says unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son
of Man, then ye shall know that I am. Even in all the humiliation
of the sufferings of the cross, He's obedient, of course, and
obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. The height
of His obedience, and yet there, what a remarkable revelation
of His deity. And of course, as we've said
on so many occasions, it begins there in the Garden of Gethsemane
in chapter 18, as the Lord crosses the book, Kedron enters into
the Garden where often he had resorted with the disciples Judas
was well aware of it and Judas also comes with officers and
men from the chief priests and pharisees and then that passage
where we are told at verse 4 and the Lord knowing all things that
should come upon him he knew he knew his time was come He
knew all things that should come upon him. He went forth and said
unto them, Whom seek ye? They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus said unto them, I am. You see again the he introduced
in italics. He says I am. And Judas also
which betrayed him stood with them. As soon then as he had
said unto them, I am, They went backward and fell to the ground.
They didn't fall forward. They didn't bow down in any obeisance. They didn't come to worship Him
as He declares His deity. As He says, I am. They fall backward.
They cannot approach Him. They cannot touch Him. Of course,
no man was able to take that life from Him. As He says in
chapter 10, He had authority to lay down that life and to
take it again. That was the commandment the
Father had given to Him. And so he says, I am. And they
went backward and fell to the ground. Then asked he them again,
Whom seek ye? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth.
Jesus answered, I have told you that I am. If therefore ye seek
me, let these go their way. Or they go their way. He is the
one who will suffer in their room and in their steads, the
innocent one. how remarkable even as he comes
to the end he demonstrates his deity and he does it in miracles
it's interesting in the portion that we read back in Exodus chapter
3 as the Lord gives that commission to Moses and sends him back to
Egypt it was some 40 years previously he had fled at the age of 40
remember He had to flee from Egypt. He's now 80 years old
and he's being sent back to do his life work. He's to go before
the king of Egypt and demand that the Lord God would have
him release these Hebrew slaves. They must go three days journey
into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord their God. And what
does the Lord say to Moses, verse 19 in that chapter? I am sure
that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty
hand. And I will stretch out my hand
and smite Egypt with all my wonders, which I will do in the midst
thereof. After that, he will let you go. God was going to
demonstrate his great power, the ten plagues that were to
fall upon the Egyptians. And now even when we come to
consider the Lord Jesus Christ in all the humiliation of his
dying, even there we see something remarkable. of His dietary. That's what the Lord is saying
there in verse 28 of the chapter, when you have lifted up the Son
of Man, crucifixion, then you shall know that I am. And so it was of course, we have
the record of His death in the Gospels and what remarkable incidents
are associated with the end of Jesus of Nazareth. For example, in Matthew's account,
Matthew 27 and verse 50, when we read these words, Jesus, when
he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. He gives himself, he dies. There's
a separation of body and soul. And behold, the veil of the temple
was rent in twain from the top to the bottom, and the earth
did quake, and the rocks rent. And the graves were opened, and
many bodies of the saints which slept arose, and came out of
the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city,
and appeared unto many. What strange happenings! What
wonders! Now when the centurion, and they
that were with him watching Jesus, saw the earthquake and those
things that were done, they feared greatly, saying truly, This was
the Son of God. or when he's lifted up you see
when he's lifted up they'll know that this is indeed the great
God this is the I am that I am and that one of course who though
he be God is also man the great mystery of Godliness that God
was manifest in the flesh if that babe that was laid into
a manger was nothing less than true almighty God and we sang
it didn't we in our opening hymn the words of William Cooper the
poet if that one, that little babe was never anything less
than true almighty God the one who died upon the cross was also
true almighty God doesn't Paul speak of the church of God which
he had purchased with his own blood When we think of the person
of the Lord Jesus, he's one person, in that one person there are
two natures. And there's no separating the
natures. The person is God, the person is man. One person. In all his actions, he is God-man. Even when he was crucified, through
weakness, this is the mystery. And... He's that one who is declaring
something of his eternity. Now he answers the Jews at the
end of this chapter. Their great boast, Abraham was
their father. That was what they boasted all
the time. They were the true children of Abraham. They could
speak of Isaac and Jacob. They could speak of the 12 patriarchs,
they were members of the 12 tribes of Israel. What does the Lord
say? Here at verse 56, your father
Abraham rejoiced to see my day and he saw it and was glad. How
did Abraham see the day of the Lord Jesus Christ? Why did he
not see it there in Genesis chapter 22? On the Mount Moriah, where
the Lord God had told him to take his son, his only son, Isaac,
and to offer him as a sacrifice. Where the Lord is testing the
faith of Abraham. And Abraham is obedient. But it is not Isaac who is to
be sacrificed. There's a lamb. There's a ram
that was caught. by its horns in the thicket and
to sacrifice that ram in place of his son and so in a sense
he receives his son from the dead the language of Hebrews
11 concerning the faith of Abraham the things that are written there verse 17 in that chapter by faith
Abraham when he was tried offered up Isaac And he that had received
the promises offered up his only begotten Son, of whom it was
said that in Isaac shall thy seed be called, accounting that
God was able to raise him up even from the dead, from whence
also he received him in a figure. What was the Lord God showing
to Abraham there in the mount? He saw the Lord Jesus Christ. in the song that he was to sacrifice
and yet that son raised to life again. All your father Abraham
rejoiced to see my day says the Lord and he saw it and was glad. Well let us come to these words
that we've announced as a text, verse 58 They want us to consider
some two truths, the age of Christ, the authority of Christ. Simply
to consider those two headings, those two points, Christ's age
and then Christ's authority. First of all, what can we say
with regards to his age? In the context, the previous
verse the Jews say they were not yet fifty years old and thus
they have seen Abraham and the Lord answers them and strikingly
answers with a double verily and the significance of that
here is a truth that is being underlined, underscored verily,
verily I say unto you before Abraham was I am What is Christ's age? Well here
surely we have to recognize something of that mystery of which we've
already referred, that He is God and He is man. Here we have
His deity, His eternity really, as that One who is God. Remember
in prophecy the word is given through Isaiah there in chapter
9 of his book, that a child is born. Unto us a child is born,
But unto us the Son is given. The Son isn't born. The Son is
the Eternal Son. And the Eternal Son is taking
to Himself a human nature. That's the language of the angel
to Mary, isn't it? The Holy Ghost shall come upon
thee, the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee. Therefore
also that Holy Thing, that human nature, body and soul, a real
man, that Holy Thing, shall be called the Son of God the Son is given in the fullness
of the time God sends forth his Son and the Son takes to himself
the human nature the child is born like any child is born the
great mystery of the incarnation and the miracle of a virgin giving
birth to a son But the Son is the Eternal One.
He is before Abraham. Before Abraham was, I am. He says, doesn't he, in the opening
chapter of the Revelation, I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning
and the ending, which was, and which is, and which is to come,
the Almighty. He is God. He speaks time and
again. He speaks in the Old Testament,
Isaiah 43, 13, Yea, before the day was I am He. He is I am,
He is before time. He is the Eternal God. Before anything existed, before
there was any creation, before God had made time itself, He
existed. He is the Eternal God. And the
Jews understood that, we know that from what we are told previously
here in chapter 5 and verse 18. He said that God was his father,
didn't he? And we're told therefore the Jews sought the more to kill
him because he not only had broken their the Sabbath, their perversion
of the Sabbath, he'd healed a man, the impotent man he'd given feet
and legs and movement to on the Sabbath day. Don't they want
to accuse him? But now he's referred to God
as his father. Oh, they sought the Moor to kill
him because he not only had broken the Sabbath but said that God
was his father, making himself equal with God. And of course, we know that that
was the accusation that they laid against him. when they present
him to the Roman governor. They have no authority to execute a man. It's a Roman
province. They are subject to the might
of Rome. And they bring him before Pontius Pilate. And what does he do? Well, poor
man. He just gives in to their demands
really. And there in chapter 19 at verse
7, what do they say? We have a law. This is the reason
why they've handed him over to the Roman authorities. We have
a law and by our law he ought to die because he made himself
the son of God. Blasphemy, that was the accusation.
Back in Leviticus 24 and verse 16, a man who was a blasphemer
must be stoned to death. And how often they would have
stoned him. They were ready to do that here.
When he declares himself as I am, they then took they up stones
to cast at him. We read in verse 59. how many times would they have
done that very deed he was a blasphemer because he
declared himself to be the eternal son of God we think then of his age and
of course he has no age he is from everlasting to everlasting
he is He's God. Pure and simple, He's
God. And yet, this One who is God
is also a man and He's as much a man as He is God. That is the
amazing truth. What of His age? Well, what do
they think? They say in verse 57, Thou art
not yet fifty years old. And as I've seen Abraham, here
we see the reality of his humanity. Not only his humanity, but his
great humility. As a man, they think him to be
50 years old. Of course, he has been growing,
he's now come to manhood, he was born a little babe. And we're
told, aren't we, in the Gospel how He increased in wisdom and
stature? He, like any human being, He
grows. Again, we have that simple statement
in Luke chapter 2 and verse 40, the child grew. We expect that. We see little babies are born,
before long they're toddlers. Then, why they're little children,
then they pass on into adolescence and before long they're fully
grown. Well that was true with regards
to Jesus of Nazareth. But how old was he when he was
exercising his ministry? Well we're told, aren't we, he
was about 50 years of age. In Luke chapter 3 and verse 23,
Jesus himself began to be about 50 years of age. And what do they say? Well, they're
ridiculing him. He said before Abraham was, I
am. They could have said, why you're
not yet 40 years. You're only just 30 years of
age. They seem to reckon him to be older than that. Thou art
not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? Remember
what we are told concerning this man and his sufferings, his visage
was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons
of men. Here is that man who is pure,
holy, he is undefiled, He's a sinless man and he's living
in a world that lies in wickedness and surely it must have had some
effect upon his human nature that he was witnessing these
things. Now he felt, now he must have felt the ridicule
of men. There were times he must have
felt the The unbelief even of those who were his followers,
his disciples. He felt these things. I love
that little hymn. I think there's just two verses
to the hymn of Benjamin Begum. You know, the one, 441, so fair
a face, bejewed with tears. What beauty in in grief appears. He wept, he bled, he died for
you. What more, ye saints, could Jesus
do? Or how he suffered, and suffered
so willingly, touched with the feeling of our infirmities, he
was. He was tempted in all points,
like as we are, and yet he was without sin. He was without sin. And we see something of the reality
really of his human nature. Here they took up stones to cast
at him. They would have stoned him to
death but Jesus hid himself. Jesus hid himself. What can we
not learn from Christ when Satan assaults? When Satan assaults
what are we to do? We're to fly to God. We're to
hide ourselves in Him. The name of the Lord of Strong
Towers. No, the righteous run into it and they're safe. I thank
God for the human nature of the Lord Jesus Christ. That one who
is to us a wonderful pattern of what it means to live the
life of faith, the life of trusting in his God. That one who would
pray to his God. Even as he comes into the garden
of Gethsemane, we see all the agonies of his human soul, knowing
those things that must have their accomplishment in him. Here then
we see the Lord Jesus as a man, we see the Lord Jesus as God,
in all these things he is both, he is God-man in every action
of his life, that's the mystery. We're not to think that we can
some way or other untangle what to us is altogether beyond our
comprehension that that one who died upon the cross in his human
nature was the son of God is the son of God but then also
do we not here see something of his authority his authority Jesus says unto them, verily,
verily. And how often do we have that
in this Gospel? John, as he records the ministry
of the Lord, often we find a single, many times a double, verily.
And you know, it's the word Amen, Amen really. So be it. So be it. Truly, truly we might
render it. Elihu says in the book of Job,
they should speak, and a multitude of your should teach wisdom.
Well, here is one who is the eternal God, though he speaks
with such authority. And even here, really, there's
a sense in which we see the authority in a miracle. They take up stones,
Jesus hid himself, but we're told, and went out of the temple,
going through the midst of them. He goes through the very midst
of them, and so passed by. The old Scots commentator, George
Hutcheson, says he evidences his great power even in infirmity. That's his remark on what we're told at the end of
the chapter here in this verse. The evidence is his great power,
says the Old Scots Divine, even in infirmity. There's another similar miracle
recorded, isn't there, to this one. Earlier in the Lord's ministry,
back in Luke's Gospel, in Luke chapter 4, And verse 28, we read of the
Lord here in the synagogue. And verse 28, all they in the
synagogue, when they heard these things, the teaching of the Lord
Jesus, they are filled with wrath. And he says, and rose up and
thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the
hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down
headlong. But he, passing through the midst,
passing through the midst of them, went his way, and came
down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. He can just pass through
the midst of them, and they cannot, for a moment, touch him. Why
is that? Why is that? Well, He knew, didn't
He? He knew. He must have known His
hour was not yet come. Again, earlier in the chapter,
verse 20, we're told, These words spake Jesus in the treasury,
as He taught in the temple. And no man laid hands on Him,
for His hour was not yet come. His hour was not yet come. We
have it again in the previous chapter. There at verse 30 in
chapter 7. Then they sought to take him
but no man laid hands on him because his hour was not yet
come. Knowing all things. Remember
the words that we have at the beginning of chapter 18 as he
goes into the garden. Knowing all things. And when
the time was set that he should be received up, he had steadfastly,
steadfastly set his face to go up to Jerusalem. He shows his authority by miracles. He does that time of the day.
And we see it's made plain in John where The word that's repeatedly
used for the miracle is the word sign. This beginning of sign
did Jesus in Cana of Galilee manifested forth his glory and
his disciples believed on him. He can demonstrate authority. He's able to produce remarkable
signs and Abram believed in him, that's
what the Lord says. Abram rejoiced to see my God. And Soreton was glad. Oh, what
the Lord does. Abram believes in him. Abram's
the father, isn't he, of all them that believe. And we're
told of the faith of Abram. And how that faith centers in
the Lord Jesus Christ there in Romans chapter 4. What saith the Scripture? is
the question that's put there in verse 3. Abram believed God
and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Abram believed
God. Abram's righteousness was in the Lord Jesus Christ.
He had no righteousness of his own. And when we come to the
end of that great fourth chapter of Romans And we're told of Abraham,
he staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but
was strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully persuaded
that what he had promised he was able also to perform. And
therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. What was imputed
to him for righteousness? The promise. He was fully persuaded to what
God had promised he was able to perform. And what was it that
he had promised? Well, it's what that man beheld
there in Genesis 22 at the Mount Moriah, where in his own sight, his own
seed, he sees, he sees the promised one. well he is that one who
is the true seed of Abraham look at the language back in
Galatians chapter 3 and verse 6 and to thy seed and to thy
seed which is Christ and that one who speaks with such authority
he was able to perform remarkable miracles, mighty works We've
spoken already of all that was taking place even as he comes
to make that one sacrifice for sins forever. Did God do great
wonders in the land of Egypt to reveal himself as the great
Jehovah, the I am that I am? Well, hasn't God done the same
really in the death of the Lord Jesus Christ? And we are to consider
these things. Isn't that the significance?
of the words that he used in the text. Verily, verily, we
are to carefully consider the teaching, the doctrine that's
set before us. The one who is speaking is the
Amen. And as I said, literally that's
what the Greek words are here. Amen, Amen. And Christ the Amen,
the faithful and true witness. And we're to submit to His authority. We're to believe His words. And how solemn, how solemn are
those words where we began the reading in this chapter. Verse
24, I said therefore unto you that ye shall die in your sins,
for if ye believe not that I am, if ye believe not that I am,
ye shall die in your sins and so the question to each of us
surely is this what think ye of Christ? what think ye of Christ? whose son is he? he is the eternal
son of God but he is also the son of man and he is that one
so fit to stand as the days man, the umpire, the mediator He can
put his hand upon us both. He is God, he is man. One God, one mediator, the man
Christ Jesus. Oh, never man spake like this
man spake. Remember the end of the Sermon
on the Mount when Jesus had ended these sayings? The people were
astonished at his doctrine. that he's teaching. He taught
them with authority and not as the scribes or that the Lord
might come and speak with such authority to us even tonight.
The wonder of this person, the Lord Jesus Christ, the authority
that he has. No man was able to take that
life from Him. He had power, He had authority
to lay it down. He had power, authority to take
it again. This was the commandment He had
received of the Father. And as I said, even as He comes
to die, He reveals the wonder of that. Verse 28, When ye have
lifted up the Son of Man, Then shall ye know that I am He. O God, grant us grace then to
bow to Him, to own Him, to acknowledge, to confess Him, or to submit
to all His authority, embracing not only the exceeding great
and precious promises of His Gospel, but to walk in obedience
to all those Gospel precepts. The Lord bless to us His own
Word. Amen.