Sunday, February 26, 2017



2017.02.26                             John 9: 1-12
          The Man Born Blind             part 1
Good morning everyone, I am glad that you are here…. I have Good News for you… His name is Jesus… We are on a great adventure… We are Experiencing the Life and ministry of Jesus… As we study  the Gospel of John… We learn the truth about Jesus… He was not just some great man… He wrote his gospel so that we would believe in Jesus… And through believing in Him…. That we would find life in His name… He is determined to make sure that we understand that Jesus is God in human flesh… and to prove that He is the Savior and Messiah… John was the theologian of the early church… 
John’s gospel is to demonstrate that God has provided redemption and forgiveness to all that are willing to repent and cry out to Him… The Gospel of John is much more than just true history… It is a presentation of The Lord Jesus Christ in all of His Glory… John reminds us that Jesus demonstrated His Authority and power in many ways… He openly proclaimed His equality with God the Father… HE offered Himself as the true bread come down from Heaven… John 6:32,33  …. He offered Life giving heart changing water to anyone who would come to Him… John 7: 37,38… And as we studied in john ch 8… He revealed Himself as the light of the world… John 8:12…
The Glorious light of the Gospel shines into our lives… The Word of God transforms our cold black hearts… Our entire lives are flooded with truth… With light…
The metaphor of Light and Darkness appears all through the Word of God…
This morning Jesus is going to perform a miracle of incredible power… It is an Exclamation point on the truth that Jesus is the light of the world… Jesus will heal a man who was born blind…
Jesus has been teaching daily in the Temple during the Feast of Tabernacles…. His is proclaiming Himself as Messiah and God… Let´s start with the last verses of ch8…
John 8: 58,59                           NKJV   slt 2000
58 Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” 59 Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.
58 Jesus sprach zu ihnen: Wahrlich, wahrlich, ich sage euch: Ehe Abraham war, bin ich! 59 Da hoben sie Steine auf, um sie auf ihn zu werfen. Jesus aber verbarg sich und ging zum Tempel hinaus, mitten durch sie hindurch, und entkam so.
They want to stone Him again at the end of the chapter… But They cannot… It is not yet time…
Remember… Jesus said no man takes my life from me…. I lay it down… John 10… v18
Let´s continue now… Look with me at John 9: 1-12…
John 9: 1-12                     NKJV  slt 2000
1 Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. 2 And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”3 Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. 4 I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6 When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. 7 And He said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing.

8 Therefore the neighbors and those who previously had seen that he was blind said, “Is not this he who sat and begged?” 9 Some said, “This is he.” Others said, “He is like him.”He said, “I am he.” 10 Therefore they said to him, “How were your eyes opened?”11 He answered and said, “A Man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed, and I received sight.”12 Then they said to him, “Where is He? ”He said, “I do not know.”
Wow… This man had never seen the light… He was in total darkness…
Then Jesus gives Him the gift of light and sight… It is a living illustration of the miracle of the new birth… This man begins his new life by seeing with His ears… He obeys Jesus simple instructions and goes to Siloam to wash… He returns seeing for the first time… What a miracle…
Everything that Jesus says and does… He does to fulfill all righteousness… He is fulfilling every promise that God has made… And He is accomplishing every Prophesy that has been given… When Jesus says… in v5… “I am the light of the world.” He is speaking to the exact circumstances of this moment… He is giving light to the desperate needs of this man… He has lived his entire life blind…. Not only born blind… but condemned to a life of darkness and hopelessness…
We are not left in the dark about the meaning of darkness… God’s light has come into the world… and it is shining into a sin filled world… A world of suffering and sorrow… A world of disabilities and devastating diseases… God has not left us to alone… The Light of the Gospel is filled with hope for everyone who cries out to him… No Matter what happens… The Word of God helps us to cope with the sorrows and disasters that confront everyone of us… It is all part of God´s redemptive plan… The light of the Gospel sheds light on every part of our lives…
 In the fifth gospel… Isaiah… We discover many of the wonderful promises of God to a sin filled and rebellious people…
Isaiah 42 is just one example… It is one of the Servant songs of the Messiah… In it The prophet points to The Messiah the giver of life and light to a lost and dying world… look with me at Isaiah 42… v5-7
Isaiah 42: 5-7                 NLT  Neues Leben
5 God, the Lord, created the heavens and stretched them out. He created the earth and everything in it. He gives breath to everyone, life to everyone who walks the earth. And it is he who says, 6 “I, the Lord, have called you to demonstrate my righteousness. I will take you by the hand and guard you, and I will give you to my people, Israel, as a symbol of my covenant with them. And you will be a light to guide the nations. 7 You will open the eyes of the blind. You will free the captives from prison, releasing those who sit in dark dungeons.
5 Gott, der Herr, hat den Himmel erschaffen und ausgespannt. Er hat die Erde und alles, was darauf wächst, gemacht. Er gibt allem, was auf der Welt ist, Leben und allem, was auf ihr geht, Atem. Er sagt:
6 »Ich, der Herr, habe dich in Gerechtigkeit berufen und dich bei deiner Hand erfasst. Ich beschütze dich und mache dich zu einem Bund für das Volk und zum Licht für die Völker.
7 Dadurch sollst du den Blinden die Augen öffnen, die Häftlinge aus dem Gefängnis befreien und die in der Dunkelheit Gefangenen ans Licht führen.
Beginning in Verse 1 we see God calling on the earth to look at His chosen one… then in v5…
v5… God the Creator of everything says… I give breath and life to everyone…  In Genesis we read…. God said let there be light and there was lightGenesis 1: 3  That light was Jesus the Messiah… John describes Jesus as the true light that gives light  everyman who comes into the world… John 1:9
In Isaiah in verses 6 and 7 we see the connection between light and blindness… and freedom from the darkness of prison… look at it with me…
v6b,7… And you will be a light to guide the nations. 7 You will open the eyes of the blind. You will free the captives from prison, releasing those who sit in dark dungeons….
The Lord God said that the Messiah is given as a light to guide the nations… And that he will transform hearts and lives…. That the blind will see and be set free from prison…
This morning we will look at one of the tens of thousands of miracles that Jesus did… Why do I say tens of thousands? Because the scriptures tell us in several places… Jesus healed everyone that came to Him… John also reminds us that if he wrote down everything that Jesus did it would fill many books... Many of the same people who a day earlier… Heard Jesus say that He was the Light of the World… Will now witness this incredible miracle… The healing of a man born blind…
This miracle alone should have changed their view of Jesus… But instead of repenting and coming to genuine faith… instead of acknowledging that there was no human explanation for what they had seen… all it does is harden their hatred and anger… 
So Jesus begins to abandon the leaders to their rebellion and focus on the disciples… Remember it is only about 6 months before the cross and the resurrection…   The religious leaders are only looking to build their case against Jesus… It’s a sad  fulfillment of the first chapter of John… “He came into His own, and His own received Him not.” John 1: 11… There is  great danger of rejecting the truth and hardening our hearts…
Everytime we study the Bible… We need to ask God to open our ears and hearts… Look with me now at John 9… We will take a closer look… let’s walk with Jesus… in the light…    V1,2…
John 9: 1,2       NKJV  slt 2000
1 Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. 2 And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?“
1 Und als er vorbeiging, sah er einen Menschen, der blind war von Geburt an. 2 Und seine Jünger fragten ihn und sprachen: Rabbi, wer hat gesündigt, so daß dieser blind geboren ist, er oder seine Eltern?
v1… blind from birth… who sinned…
Born blind… That means that according to the religious leaders he was cursed by God… Uli has a blind Paten Tante… One thing that you notice right away… Is that her hearing is spectacular… I think this poor man heard every horrible thing that was whispered about him all of his life… How sad… Even if the disciples whispered to Jesus… He heard them… Cursed by blindness and excellent hearing… The blind man is a picture of the lost sin-blinded man who has no capacity to see Jesus…    The analogy is perfect…
In fact, the gospels use this analogy over and over... Paul talks about spiritual blindness many times…   Blindness perfectly illustrates man’s spiritual darkness and lost-ness...  Helpless… this blind man is at the mercy of others who choose to help him...  He’s like the sinner…  In this passage… God reaches the blind man through Christ…  Just like God takes the initiative through Christ for us sinners…  That’s how grace operates…  We’re lost… we’re dead… we’re blind… We cannot see the truth of the gospel… But God sees us…  He comes to us… And in His in compassion… Gives us sight and pours grace and mercy out on our lives…
v2... Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? The disciples saw this man as a theological puzzle… The disciples say who sinned… By the way… there is no such thing as generational sins or generational curses…
Jesus saw him as a suffering young man needing a miracle...
John 9: 3-5   NKJV   slt 2000
3 Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. 4 We must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
3 Jesus antwortete: Weder dieser hat gesündigt noch seine Eltern; sondern an ihm sollten die Werke Gottes offenbar werden! 4 Ich muß die Werke dessen wirken, der mich gesandt hat, solange es Tag ist; es kommt die Nacht, da niemand wirken kann. 5 Solange ich in der Welt bin, bin ich das Licht der Welt.
v3… Neither this man nor his parents sinned… Jesus' response was neither this man… nor his parents sinned… Why do such bad things happen? Generally… because we live in a fallen world… Sometimes… So that the works of God can be revealed in him…
v4… while it is day… we must work…
while it is day… Jesus Points to our time here in this life… We do not know how much time we have… We need to use it for His Glory…  
Jesus knows that His own  Death is coming soon…  He has months…  Jesus is talking to the disciples… Some of them don’t have very long…  They have a few years…  Soon many are martyred for the sake of the Gospel… Jesus pulls us along with the disciples into ministry with the phrase we must work… What a calling… Staggering…     In the light of the fact that night is coming… We need to be careful not to waste our lives slide
My joy grows with every soul that seeks the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Remember, you have one life. That’s all. You were made for
God. Don’t waste it.”
― John Piper, Don't Waste Your Life
We don’t know how much time we have...    People at a bakery in Heidelberg yesterday…  One young… gone… We don’t know.  Months?  Years?  We don’t know…  Less time with every breath…   It’s time to get to work… 
I love that we’re in the “we” here…     listen Christian… We need to get the sin and worldliness out of our days…  
We need to Stop wasting time…  Stop flirting with the world... Get to work… back to v5… scroll down…
v5… “While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.”  But that’s only for a while longer…  He will always be the Light of the World…  But right now… He is shining in person in all of His Glory…  He’s going to give this man spiritual light… and He will start by seeing with his ears… v6,7…


John 9: 6,7                        NKJV   slt 2000
6 When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. 7 And He said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing.
6 Als er dies gesagt hatte, spie er auf die Erde und machte einen Brei mit dem Speichel und strich den Brei auf die Augen des Blinden 7 und sprach zu ihm: Geh hin, wasche dich im Teich Siloah (das heißt übersetzt: »Der Gesandte«)! Da ging er hin und wusch sich und kam sehend wieder.
v6… He spat … and He anointed the eyes  The blind man did not come to Jesus and ask to be healed… Jesus came to Him… Still, He expected the blind man to respond in faith and obedience… By the way… Faith and obedience are always connected…  As Jesus gave the man this simple task…  The blind man obediently went away and washed in the pool of Siloam…  And he came back seeing… His response to the Lord’s command symbolizes the obedience that marks genuine saving faith… note takers.. Rom. 1:5; 15:18; 16:26; Heb. 5:9…
v7… Go, wash in the pool of Siloam… Why the pool of Siloam?  All of this has taken place at Tabernacles… This is where they went every day during the Feast… It was during the great pouring out of Water on the altar… That Jesus said He was the living water…  We talked about that day a few weeks ago…
The Lord Jesus Christ is the true Siloam…. He was sent to offer living water to anyone who was willing to repent and believe the Good News of the Gospel… He has sent us… John ch 17…  So Jesus sent this man to wash…
This is a wonderful picture of salvation… Sovereign grace confronts a blind and hopeless sinner…  He can’t see Jesus…  But in His sovereign grace… Jesus  comes to him… He asks only a response of simple faith… Go and wash… Remember… He was still blind… It is a long way from the Temple to the pool of Siloam…  He finds his way to the cleansing waters… It is a symbol of Messianic salvation in Isaiah… and he comes back seeing… How wonderful… What a beautiful picture…
John 9: 8-12                   NKJV  slt 2000
8 Therefore the neighbors and those who previously had seen that he was blind said, “Is not this he who sat and begged?”9 Some said, “This is he.” Others said, “He is like him.” He said, “I am he.”10 Therefore they said to him, “How were your eyes opened?” 11 He answered and said, “A Man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed, and I received sight.” 12 Then they said to him, “Where is He?” He said, “I do not know.”
8 Die Nachbarn nun, und die ihn zuvor als Blinden gesehen hatten, sprachen: Ist das nicht der, welcher dasaß und bettelte? 9 Etliche sagten: Er ist's! — andere aber: Er sieht ihm ähnlich! Er selbst sagte: Ich bin's! 10 Da sprachen sie zu ihm: Wie sind deine Augen geöffnet worden? 11 Er antwortete und sprach: Ein Mensch, der Jesus heißt, machte einen Brei und bestrich meine Augen und sprach zu mir: Geh hin zum Teich Siloah und wasche dich! Als ich aber hinging und mich wusch, wurde ich sehend. 12 Da sprachen sie zu ihm: Wo ist er? Er antwortete: Ich weiß es nicht!
v9… Others said, "He is like him. " He said, "I am he": It seems too amazing to believe… but the man convinced them that he was in fact healed from congenital blindness…
v11… A man called Jesus… At this point, the man knew very little about Jesus… He didn't know anything more about Jesus than His name… and that He healed him...
v12… where is He? Can you imagine the questions… Impossible who… what does he look like… no Idea… We need to stop for today… Next week Jesus will find Him the man born blind will demonstrate genuine faith and will testify to the religious leaders of Jesus the Messiah… Let´s pray

Sunday, February 12, 2017



2017.02.12                            John 8: 21-36
                   Genuine Discipleship
Good Morning everyone… It is wonderful to see you here… I have Good news for you… His name Is Jesus… As many of you know… We teach through the Bible verse by verse… We are studying the Gospel of John and we find ourselves in John ch 8 again this morning… As I have been saying we are near the end of Jesus earthly ministry… In about 6 months He will be crucified and He will Rise from the dead… His enemies are becoming more and more determined to kill him… In fact in this chapter alone… They tried to attack Him 10 times… They did not succeed… That is because it was not yet time… As we pick up the text today…. Jesus is once again offering His enemies a chance to see with their ears…. Repent and believe the Gospel… He is confronting their sin and pride and rebellion… There is still time for them to repent… Today in the middle of this chapter, Jesus teaches those who have believed what true and genuine discipleship means… As we saw last week… Salvation begins with Scandalous Grace… That is what happened to the woman caught committing Adultery… And to the woman at the well… When we see the truth about ourselves… Then we repent of our sins and we believe the Good news of the gospel… We receive the same radical grace and mercy… But Just like the woman caught in the act of adultery… We also here the Command… Go and sin no more… For context… let´s read beginning at John 8… v21…
John 8: 21-29          NKJV   slt 2000
21 Then Jesus said to them again, “I am going away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin. Where I go you cannot come.”22 So the Jews said, “Will He kill Himself, because He says, ‘Where I go you cannot come’?” 23 And He said to them, “You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” 25 Then they said to Him, “Who are You?”And Jesus said to them, “Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning. 26 I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him.” 27 They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father. 28 Then Jesus said to them, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. 29 And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.”
21 Nun sprach Jesus wiederum zu ihnen: Ich gehe fort, und ihr werdet mich suchen, und ihr werdet in eurer Sünde sterben. Wohin ich gehe, dorthin könnt ihr nicht kommen! 22 Da sagten die Juden: Will er sich etwa selbst töten, daß er spricht: Wohin ich gehe, dorthin könnt ihr nicht kommen? 23 Und er sprach zu ihnen: Ihr seid von unten, ich bin von oben. Ihr seid von dieser Welt, ich bin nicht von dieser Welt. 24 Darum habe ich euch gesagt, daß ihr in euren Sünden sterben werdet; denn wenn ihr nicht glaubt, daß ich es bin, so werdet ihr in euren Sünden sterben. 25 Da sagten sie zu ihm: Wer bist du? Und Jesus sprach zu ihnen: Zuerst das, was ich euch eben sage! 26 Ich habe vieles über euch zu reden und zu richten; aber der, welcher mich gesandt hat, ist wahrhaftig, und was ich von ihm gehört habe, das rede ich zu der Welt. 27 Sie verstanden aber nicht, daß er vom Vater zu ihnen redete. 28 Darum sprach Jesus zu ihnen: Wenn ihr den Sohn des Menschen erhöht haben werdet, dann werdet ihr erkennen, daß ich es bin; und ich tue nichts von mir selbst aus, sondern wie mich mein Vater gelehrt hat, so rede ich. 29 Und der, welcher mich gesandt hat, ist mit mir; der Vater läßt mich nicht allein, denn ich tue allezeit, was ihm wohlgefällt.
You will remember that we read verse 21 last week… Jesus was offering His enemies the same Radical grace and mercy that He had shown the woman taken in Adultery He was pointing to His substitutionary death for their sins… They knew He was talking about dying… But they did not clearly understand what he was saying… Then He pointed out the truth that He was their only hope for Salvation…
v23,24… I am from above… Just a few day before they heard Jesus say…  I am the true bread come down from heaven… John 6:51…
v24… If you do not believe… you will die in you sins…
He is offering them the truth… He wants them to repent of their sins and come to Him for Life… It was all so difficult for them to take in…. They did not want to repent and so they refused to believe… look at v28
v28,30… When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He… Jesus is again Prophesying of the cross… I always do what the Father taught Me and say what the  Father tells me to say… These references to the Father are more proclamations of His Diety… let´s read the next section… v30…
John 8: 30-36          NKJV   slt 2000
30 As He spoke these words, many believed in Him. 31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” 33 They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?”
34 Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. 35 And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. 36 Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.

30 Als er dies sagte, glaubten viele an ihn. 31 Da sprach Jesus zu den Juden, die an ihn glaubten: Wenn ihr in meinem Wort bleibt, so seid ihr wahrhaftig meine Jünger, 32 und ihr werdet die Wahrheit erkennen, und die Wahrheit wird euch frei machen! 33 Sie antworteten ihm: Wir sind Abrahams Same und sind nie jemandes Knechte gewesen; wie kannst du da sagen: Ihr sollt frei werden? 34 Jesus antwortete ihnen: Wahrlich, wahrlich, ich sage euch: Jeder, der die Sünde tut, ist ein Knecht der Sünde. 35 Der Knecht aber bleibt nicht ewig im Haus; der Sohn bleibt ewig. 36 Wenn euch nun der Sohn frei machen wird, so seid ihr wirklich frei.

v 30…  “As He spoke these things, many came to believe in Him… many believed in Jesus… At least some of these who believed Him… Saw with the eyes of faith… They Heard with their ears
v31…Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed… If you abide… You are truly my disciples…
Who is a true disciple? Who is a true follower of Christ?  True in the sense of genuine, authentic…?
In v 31… we are reminded of a  very important Biblical truth… Many people say that they are Christians… They make professions of Faith… They get baptized… They become faithful church goers and do good things… But in truth… They are only fans of Jesus… Trying to use Jesus to get what they want in life… For many, It is cool to be a Christ follower… Sure why not… He will give me everything that I want… I can have perfect health and perfect wealth… They name the name of Jesus… They want to identify themselves as believers… And so they do all of the Christian things… But in truth they have not been converted… God has not taken out their hearts of stone… He has not yet given them hearts of Flesh…. He has not yet put His Holy Spirit in them… They have not moved on into genuine faith and discipleship… There are many fake Christians in Europe and America… There are no fake Christians in Muslim lands…. They know the price of true Christianity in those dangerous places… There is no easy believism in Saudi Arabia… There are no prosperity mega churches in Iran… Jesus points to perseverance In Him and His Words of Life as the ultimate proof of the genuineness of faith… His disciples knew what He was talking about… Jesus had been teaching about the differences in the people who say they believe for some time…
Many of Jesus´ parables pointed to the difference between true faith the results in Salvation… And a false temporary faith that is not real at all…
 Most of Matthew 13 is about the differences…
Often in the Gospel of John we have seen examples of faith and belief…   We have seen true faith in the case of the early disciples already in chapter one...  And we’ve seen less than true faith in chapter two… Remember…
Jesus didn’t commit Himself to them because He knew what was in their heart… and He knew their faith wasn’t   real…
Now, we meet another group of believers here in verse 30 who came to believe in Him…  In verse 31...  John refers to them as…Those who had believed… We they genuine believers…? Genuine faith is demonstrated in joyful obedience… 
This is not a new issue…  Jesus has called for true faith and obedience all along… There is no easy believism in Jesus´ Words of Life… Everywhere we look we see the connection between faith and obedience from the heart…
Here in these verses… Jesus is focusing on true discipleship… Jesus says… You believe…ß Then abide in my Word…. Live in it…. Follow it…. Charis it like David did… Hide it you heart… Abiding in my word  Always includes genuine faith… And genuine faith produces obedience…
I mentioned Matthew 13…. Here Jesus gives us a picture of the kingdom in His parables…    Perhaps the most important is the parable of the soils… There we discover that there will be people who make superficial commitments…
We see them in the rocky soil and the weedy soil… Their faith is superficial…  It’s temporary… and when tribulation or persecution comes along… or because of the love of riches or the cares of this world…
They wither and die… That is why there are no fake Christians in Muslim lands…
Jesus describes them as “Those who believe for a while… Luke  8:13…    And then poof… They disappear…
The Apostles were very much aware of this issue…   Listen to what John wrote in 1 John 2… v19…
1 John 2:19                 NKJV   slt 2000
19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.
19 Sie sind von uns ausgegangen, aber sie waren nicht von uns; denn wenn sie von uns gewesen wären, so wären sie bei uns geblieben. Aber es sollte offenbar werden, dass sie alle nicht von uns sind.
John is saying… there are going to be people who are going to be superficial Christians…  They are not real…
They will not endure… They will go out from us… and demonstrate that they really are not genuine believers…. They are not true disciples…
So how do we know who is real? 
There are many who “believe” in some sense… But they fade away… The fact that they fade away is proof they were not genuine believers…  Back to John 8… v30,31…
John 8: 30,31              NKJV   slt 2000
30 As He spoke these words, many believed in Him.31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.
30 Als er dies sagte, glaubten viele an ihn. 31 Da sprach Jesus zu den Juden, die an ihn glaubten: Wenn ihr in meinem Wort bleibt, so seid ihr wahrhaftig meine Jünger,
So here we meet some Jews who… according to verse 30 and 31, had believed in Jesus…  They believed because at first it’s kind of easy to believe...  You’re drawn by the crowd… as we saw in John chapter 6… Many were fascinated by the supernatural…  He’s healing people  and casting out demons…  He’s giving free food… Jesus was  doing all those kinds of things…  He  provided amazing benefits…  It all seems so wonderful…    
Sadly… People still seek Jesus on the basis of what they believe He will give them…
They still come after Him seeking personal fulfillment… They are people who want a better life… people who want answers… They want more out of life… They want to feel secure… Many are afraid of death… And they should be…. The wages of sin is death… Romans 6: 23…
For all these reasons and more…  Starting to believe in Jesus is easy…  But when their own sin filled fallen nature starts to pull them away from Jesus… The kinda sorta believer walks away from their only hope… That is because half-hearted believers still love their sin…
They are unwilling to yield to the hard demands of true repentance and humble submission to Christ….
They are the hard ground and rocky soil of the parable They only showed a Shallow… temporary  faith  Their hearts have not been transformed… Paul warns of danger and encourages us to hang on to Jesus… look with me at Romans 12...v2…
Romans 12: 2                       NLT   Neues Leben
 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
2 Deshalb orientiert euch nicht am Verhalten und an den Gewohnheiten dieser Welt, sondern lasst euch von Gott durch Veränderung eurer Denkweise in neue Menschen verwandeln. Dann werdet ihr wissen, was Gott von euch will: Es ist das, was gut ist und ihn freut und seinem Willen vollkommen entspricht.
Let God transform us into new people…. He will transform the way we think… How? By abiding in His Word… In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus asked a very important question… Look at Luke 6: 46…
Luke 6:46                 NKJV  slt 2000
46 “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?
46 Was nennt ihr mich aber »Herr, Herr« und tut nicht, was ich sage?
You say I am Lord…. But you do want you want…. Come on now… Stop pretending to love me…
So what is the mark of a true believer?  It’s not a profession…  It’s not some past event…  It is a continuing loving obedience…  Obedience out of love for the Lord who has redeemed them… 
It is in following the Word of God…  That is the proof that our Salvation is real… We become True Disciples…  It is where we find a precious gift… Look at verse 32…
John 8: 32               NKJV   slt 2000
32 You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.“
32 und ihr werdet die Wahrheit erkennen, und die Wahrheit wird euch frei machen!
v32…You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.“
The truth is that Jesus is Lord and he deserves to be Lord of our lives…. We have been bought with a price… We have been redeemed…
Knowing and believing the Truth will produce true freedom... True freedom comes from Genuine discipleship…People are looking for and freedom… No limits…  We want what we want… When we want it… And no one has the right to limit our freedom...
They want the truth that frees them from their confusion and   struggles…  They want the truth that frees them from fear… They want to be free from the fear of sickness and death… Freedom from the bondage of sin and death…
 Here in verse 32 Jesus offers something wonderful if we become genuine disciples…  He says… You will know the truth… What truth is he talking about?  He is talking about spiritual truth… The truth that produces transformation and Salvation…  
Jesus is offering the life transforming Radical grace that changes everything… It is the truth that makes us truly free…
So what kind of freedom is Jesus offering them?  Look at verse 34…
 v34… Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin…
Freedom from what? Freedom from Slavery to sin…  These scribes and Pharisees were not free…  They were slaves to sin…  How do we know they were slaves to sin?  Because sin was the pattern of their life… It was religious sin… pride… arrogance and rebellion… It was all carefully hidden in their very religious ways…. They kept the law perfectly… At least that is how it looked to the people… It was all a show… Jesus loved His enemies enough to tell them the truth… He was offering them grace and mercy… He wanted to set them freeLook with me at Matthew 23: 23-28…
Matthew 23: 23-28                NKJV  slt 2000
23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. 24 Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! 25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also. 27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. 28 Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
23 Wehe euch, ihr Schriftgelehrten und Pharisäer, ihr Heuchler, dass ihr die Minze und den Anis und den Kümmel verzehntet und das Wichtigere im Gesetz vernachlässigt, nämlich das Recht und das Erbarmen und den Glauben! Dieses sollte man tun und jenes nicht lassen. 24 Ihr blinden Führer, die ihr die Mücke aussiebt, das Kamel aber verschluckt! 25 Wehe euch, ihr Schriftgelehrten und Pharisäer, ihr Heuchler, dass ihr das Äußere des Bechers und der Schüssel reinigt, inwendig aber sind sie voller Raub und Unmäßigkeit! 26 Du blinder Pharisäer, reinige zuerst das Inwendige des Bechers und der Schüssel, damit auch ihr Äußeres rein werde! 27 Wehe euch, ihr Schriftgelehrten und Pharisäer, ihr Heuchler, dass ihr getünchten Gräbern gleicht, die äußerlich zwar schön scheinen, inwendig aber voller Totengebeine und aller Unreinheit sind! 28 So erscheint auch ihr äußerlich vor den Menschen als gerecht, inwendig aber seid ihr voller Heuchelei und Gesetzlosigkeit.

They were lying to themselves… Jesus says… You fool the people…. But I know the truth about you…. And I am offering you the same grace and mercy that I offered the woman that you dragged in here… It is not too late… repent and believe the Truth…. I am your only hopev36…
v36… Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed...
Jesus alone offers freedom from slavery to sin…   freedom from spiritual blindness… freedom from the fear of death… You will never have to live in fear of judgment… You don´t need to be afraid ever again… That is true freedom… Paul gives us a wonderful Explanation of this great truth…
Close
Look with me at Romans 8 v1-4…
Romans 8: 1-4     NLT   Neues Leben
1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. 3 The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. 4 He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied in us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.
1 Also gibt es jetzt für die, die zu Christus Jesus gehören, keine Verurteilung mehr. 2 Denn die Macht1 des Geistes, der Leben gibt, hat dich durch Christus Jesus von der Macht der Sünde befreit, die zum Tod führt. 3 Das Gesetz konnte uns nicht retten, weil unsere menschliche Natur ihm widerstand. Deshalb sandte Gott seinen Sohn zu uns. Er kam in menschlicher Gestalt wie wir, aber ohne Sünde. Gott zerstörte die Herrschaft der Sünde über uns, indem er seinen Sohn stellvertretend für unsere Schuld verurteilte. 4 Das tat er, damit die gerechten Forderungen des Gesetzes durch uns erfüllt würden und wir uns nicht länger von unserer menschlichen Natur, sondern vom Geist Gottes leiten lassen.
It is all about Jesus… He has done this work in us… In an instant we are perfect in God´s eyes…
He has made us Holy…. And we are being made holy day by day… We are being transformed into the likeness of His dear son… Hebrews 10: 14-18…
What good news… Jesus paid it all for us…  That is the scandal of Grace… It is His grace and mercy poured out on us…  that should motivate us to love and serve the Lord with all of our hearts… Joyful obedience to our great LORD AND Savior Jesus Christ…  Let´s pray…