Hear Him

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

HEAR HIM

John 8:39-47

39 "Abraham is our father," they answered. "If you were Abraham's children," said Jesus, "then you would do the things Abraham did. 40 As it is, you are determined to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. 41 You are doing the things your own father does." "We are not illegitimate children," they protested. "The only Father we have is God himself." 42 Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me. 43 Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. 44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! 46 Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don't you believe me? 47 He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God." 

NIV

We continue with this discussion between Jesus and the Jews, which were the teachers of the law and the Pharisees. Jesus had just told them he was aware they were Abraham’s descendants, but he had also told them that God was his Father. So they claim that Abraham is their father. Before we get into this truth about their father Abraham, the Muslin also claim Abraham is their father. Jesus has been and continues to tell them that although the Jews claim Abraham as their father they are trying to kill him. Their father is the devil who is the father of lies. Here we also see the Muslims trying to kill Jesus, as whenever they kill Christians they are in essence trying to kill Jesus. It is interesting how Jesus speaks the truth right into their hearts. He tells them plainly that he is from God, that he was sent by God, that God is his Father. Yet, he tells them they cannot hear what he has to say because only the people who belong to God can hear from God. He tells them they are not from God, but from the devil who is the father of lies. When he speaks he lies, which is his native language. The devil cannot tell the truth. So many people today cannot hear the truth of God, because they belong to the devil, they have not yet been born again. They had not died to sin and been reborn of the Spirit. They hear the lies of the devil as truth. They are deceived by lies. We hear people say they believe they are going to heaven because they are a good person, which they are believing a lie, told to them by the devil. If someone actually hears from God, they would know they are a sinner that needs the free gift of God, salvation through Jesus Christ. Some believe good works are going to aid them in attaining heaven, another lie, as it is only through faith we are saved by the grace of God. It is true that good works are going to be a result of being saved because we love God and want to do what he has called us to do. Yet the work that God requires is to believe in the one he sent, Jesus. God does not require any other good works, but works are a part of the believer’s life. With so many false teachers and preachers out there, spewing lies, false doctrine, and are gathering followers unto themselves, instead of pointing people to Jesus, it is easy to get deceived and listen to the devil rather than God. However, the true believer, the one who accepts Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, who has been born again, baptized in the water of life, and filled with the Holy Spirit, knows the voice of God. They can discern between lies and the truth because discernment is one of the gifts of the Spirit. Unlike the Muslins who might believe Jesus was only a prophet, and as such only a man, who could have sinned, we know Jesus is God and was and is without sin. Even as God in the flesh, and as being in the flesh was capable of sin, as a man, he did not sin. He lived a perfect sin free life so he could be the perfect Lamb of God, without spot or blemish, so he could take away our sin, and because we are in Christ and him in us, God sees us as holy and blameless. That is the truth because Jesus said so. Although we might hear some lies, we do not listen to lies, we only hear and listen to what God has to say. Does that mean we are perfect and without sin? No, not at all, we cannot accept that lie either, that we do not sin anymore, which we have heard some Christians claim. The truth is we are sinners saved by Grace. Of course, we do not go about finding how many ways we can sin, just so God’s grace can increase, but the fact is we do still commit sin but do not live in sin. However, we still belong to God and we hear him.