When Jesus healed a lame man, rather than take joy for his healing, the legalists took issue with the man for carrying his pallet on the Sabbath. What a bunch of fusspots! To oppose legalists in our day, we must focus on truth, confront with conviction, and embrace grace.
When challenged by the religious elite of His day, Jesus defended His messianic identity with claims that infuriated His enemies but won the hearts of His followers. Jesus claimed to be equal with God, the giver of life, and the final judge.
To defend His messianic claims, Jesus called five irrefutable witnesses: God the Father, John who spoke of Jesus as the Lamb of God, Jesus’ own works, the Scriptures, and Moses. Why don’t people accept the witnesses? They see and hear, but their hearts are unmoved and unwilling to believe.
When you imagine God’s face...what do you see? If you visualize anger, you’re wrong. All God’s anger at sin was poured on Christ at the cross. This means if you’re in Christ, you’re free from God’s wrath because of Christ’s death and resurrection.
We live in an era of specialization. Specialists occupy every field from medicine to law to education. No human, however, qualifies as an expert in impossibilities. Only God can solve an unsolvable problem.
In the Bread of Life discourse, Jesus contrasts physical and spiritual hunger. We work for bread to feed our bodies, but to feed our souls, we need God’s gift of life. The Jews sought proof—bread supplied from heaven like manna in the wilderness. But Jesus offered a better provision: Himself. “I am the bread of life.”
Jesus faced His attackers, including the Jewish leaders, the Jerusalem crowds, and even His own brothers. Although some opposed His ministry, Jesus offered Himself like water in a barren wilderness: “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me!” (John 7:37). Believe in Him, and receive Christ’s living water.
John 8 tells the story of a woman caught in adultery. The Pharisees brought her to Jesus in order to trap Him. If Jesus said, “punish her” then His compassion for people would be questioned. If He said, “release her” then He’d be accused of not supporting the Law of Moses. How did He respond?
Truth gives stability to your faith, strengthens you when you’re tested, enables you to handle the Bible accurately, equips you to detect and confront error, allows you to live with confidence, and releases you from all fears and superstitions. Truth sets you free.
The Pharisees wanted to stone Jesus because He claimed equality with God and they rejected His claim. We do the same thing; we either accept or reject Christ. There is no middle ground.
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