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John 8:31-32 (KJV) Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Continue In My Word

Last week Jesus had His early morning Bible Class disrupted by the scribes and Pharisees. They brought a woman taken in adultery into the middle of His class and, disrupting it, demanded Jesus give an accounting. If you were here last week you saw how Jesus used the Law of God to defeat His enemies, while at the same time bringing this woman to a place of repentance and renewal.

The Pharisees were not finished.
They had an audience, and were determined to destroy our Lord’s ministry.

We can learn a lesson from this on the persistence of evil. Evil is not easily defeated. The devil is persistent. His disciples are persistent. Evil cannot be defeated by lowering ourselves to its standard. Jesus through the Apostle:

Romans 12:21 (KJV)  Be not overcome of evil, but OVERCOME EVIL WITH GOOD.

Evil is persistent. Though Jesus defeated the Scribes and Pharisees who interrupted His class Pharisees still remained and still attacked. So Jesus said something that we are need to take heed of. There is a mixed crowd before Him. Some believe in Him, others are violently opposed to Him, and yet others are undecided. But Jesus addresses only one faction in that crowd. We read:

John 8:31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which BELIEVED on him

Jesus doesn’t address the fence sitter.
Jesus doesn’t address the unbeliever.
He addresses the Believer, the one who loves Him.
How do you defeat persistent evil?
How do you stand as Light in this dark world?
It begins by BELIEF in Christ, but it does not end there.

Jesus says to the Believer – to You if you have committed your life to Him:

John 8:31 … If ye CONTINUE in MY WORD,
then are ye My disciples indeed;

The word rendered “CONTINUE” is the Greek μένω MENŌ which means “To dwell in, make yourself at home in, stay with”. The word is used in this sense in several scriptures:

Luke 1:56 (KJV) And Mary abode with {Elizabeth} about three months, and returned to her own house. The word ABODE is the Greek MENŌ.

When Jesus went to see the little Tax Collector Zacchaeus and saw him sitting in a tree, Jesus looked up and said …

Luke 19:5 (KJV) … Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house. The word ABIDE is the Greek MENŌ.

When the first disciples started following Jesus …

John 1:38 (KJV) Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou? The word DWELLEST is the Greek MENŌ.

One of my favorite passages of Scripture is in John 15. Jesus tells those who believe in Him:

John 15:1-4 (KJV)  I am the true vine, and my Father is the {Gardener}.[2]  Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.  [3]  Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.  [4]  ABIDE in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it ABIDE in the vine; no more can ye, except ye ABIDE in me. The word ABIDE is the Greek MENŌ, which means “To make yourself at home or dwell in”.

Jesus said we must make ourselves at home in His word.

Now what is a “home”? It is a place we rest ourselves in. It is not like a motel or even – when Sherry and I go to visit our grandkids – a wonderful place my son allows us to stay in. Home is YOUR place.

At HOME I have my special recliner, my own bed, my own pillow.
At HOME I have secure doors and walls where my wife and I can live safely.
At HOME I have a yard I tend, neighbors I know, a place where my car is.
At HOME I have the conveniences of kitchen, bath, and laundry.
At HOME we hang pictures on the wall where we want.
We rest, love, and are blessed at HOME.

Like the old saying goes, there is no place like home!

How do we make ourselves at home in Christ’s Word? I read once of a little girl who shows us the way. When the offering plate was passed the little girl put the plate on the floor, and stepped into it. The shocked usher asked her what she was doing. She said “We were taught in Sunday School to give ourselves to Jesus. He can have all of me!” She got the point. God wants all of us. Christ wants us completely. He doesn’t want just our Sundays, but our every days. We are to make ourselves at home in His Word.

Jesus Christ Is The Faithful Witness

The Pharisees attacked Jesus. They said:

John 8:13 (KJV)  The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearest record of thyself; thy record is not true.

“What You have said about Yourself Jesus is fabricated. You are the only One Who says You are from God”. They were saying “We don’t support You Jesus, and You have no support of Anyone of Any stature. No great Rabbi supports You. You are false.” But Jesus replied:

John 8:14-18 (KJV)  Jesus answered and said unto them, Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true: for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither I go.  [15]  Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man.  [16]  And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me.  [17]  It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true.  [18]  I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me.

Jesus was sent of the Heavenly Father, and the Father affirmed Him as His Son. Jesus had at least two witnesses that He was Heaven sent. John the Baptist witnessed that Christ is the Messiah.

John 1:29 (KJV) … John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

When Jesus was baptized of John the Bible says:

Matthew 3:17 (KJV)  And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Christ is THE BELOVED SON. There is no other. He is THE BELOVED SON in Whom the Father is WELL PLEASED. Jesus came to do the Father’s will. He spoke as the Father would have Him speak. He went where the Father bade Him go. When Jesus took Peter, James, and John with Him into a high mountain there Christ was transfigured, and stood speaking with Moses and Elijah. Jesus is conversing with the LAW and the PROPHETS, the two greatest representatives of God’s Word. Peter speaks up.

“Let us make THREE SHRINES here, Jesus.
One for YOU, and one each for Moses and Elijah!”

No, Beloved One. The Father spoke:

Matthew 17:5 (KJV)  While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; HEAR YE HIM.

THIS is My Beloved Son. Moses and Elijah were great men who followed God, but there is but One Jesus. Hear Him. Hear His Word. Make yourselves at home in His Word.

The Pharisees could not understand this. They sought Jesus to kill Him for they saw Him as a rival to their power.

John 8:21-22 (KJV)  Then said Jesus again unto them, I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins: whither I go, ye cannot come.  [22]  Then said the Jews, Will he kill himself? because he saith, Whither I go, ye cannot come.

Unbelief cannot go where Jesus came from. Jesus was going to a place where the Pharisees could not go. Jesus is in a place that many cannot go. They sought Him to debate Him, to argue with Him, to disparage Him, but NOT to believe in Him. Because the Pharisees would not believe in Christ – resting in Him – they could not go where He was going.

Jesus’ Word is not just a man’s opinion.
His Word is God Breathed.
His Word is Heaven bound.

Jesus told the Pharisees:

John 8:23-24 …. Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world.  [24]  I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.

Jesus is the God sent Messiah. Christ is indeed God Himself manifest among us. His Word is the Word of God. In fact, His nickname is “The Word”. He is the Word Who was in the beginning WITH God and WAS God.

John 1:1-3 (KJV)  In the beginning was the WORD, and the WORD was with God, and the WORD WAS GOD.  [2]  The same was in the beginning with God.  [3]  All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

He is CREATOR GOD, and so He knows how all things should work. He is the Word of God become flesh (John 1:14) who dwelt among us. And unless we make ourselves at home in Him – believing in Him – we will die in our sins, unable to go to Heaven to be with Him. The Pharisees knew and studied the Bible that they had, the Old Testament. Yet they never knew the Author of the Scriptures, Jesus Christ Himself. Jesus Christ came from Heaven representing the Father. When the Pharisees asked Jesus “Who are YOU?” (I can almost hear the sarcasm dripping from the question) our Lord replied:

John 8:26 (KJV)  I have many things to say and to judge of you: but he that sent me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him.

Jesus said “The things I am saying I have heard DIRECTLY from the Father. I am not flavoring it or twisting His Words in any way. I am the faithful witness”. The Bible says:

Proverbs 14:5 (KJV)  A faithful witness will not lie …

Jesus Christ is the faithful Witness, the first begotten of the dead, the Prince of the kings of the earth Who has loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood (Revelation 1:5). He speaks only what the Father has told Him to speak. When we make ourselves at home in His Word, we rest in the very Word of God! Jesus told the Pharisees:

John 8:19 (KJV) … Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also.

To know the Son is to know the Father. We must make ourselves at home in His Word. Not in the word of the world, nor in the word of the world’s religions, but in the Word of Christ.

At Home In Christ’s Word I Am Freed

John 8:31-32 (KJV) … If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;  [32]  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

When we CONTINUE (Meno) or MAKE OURSELVES AT HOME IN CHRIST’S WORD it does two things. First, we know the truth. The world doesn’t know the truth. But Christ’s disciples are children of truth. When Jesus stood before Pilate to be judged He told him:

John 18:37 (KJV) … To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.

Jesus speaks the truth of Heaven. When Pilate heard Jesus say this he replied:

“What is truth?”

The world believes that “truth” is what it defines as true. Pilate had Christ executed though he found no fault in Him – because the majority said “This is the truth”. Listen Beloved, what the majority says is TRUTH is NOT TRUTH. Christ’s Word is truth. The Word of God is truth. What the Scripture teaches is true, of God, and valid. Jesus prayed for His Church:

Father, sanctify them through Thy truth: THY WORD is truth!
(John 17:17)

The world cries out “This is TRUTH because WE say so! Crucify Him. He may be innocent, but CRUCIFY HIM.” And the innocent hangs on a Cross between two thieves.

The world cries out “This is TRUTH because WE say so! Abort him. Abort her. They are innocent, but ABORT THEM.” And the innocent is removed from the place of safety and thrown in a garbage can.

Sin like a disease has spread throughout our country and our capital and our networks and our families because we have our worldview shaped by the world, not by Christ.

We make ourselves at home with PUBLIC OPINION.
We make ourselves at home with FEELINGS.
We make ourselves at home with OTHER THINGS.
We need to make ourselves at home with Christ’s Word.

When you make yourselves at home in Christ’s Word, when you rest in what He said rather than what the talking heads of Hollyweird says, then you are freed from sin. Jesus said:

John 8:34-36 (KJV) … Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.  [35]  And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.  [36]  If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

When you make yourselves at home in Christ’s Word then Christ comes to you and abides with you, and you with Him. He changes your life. Whatever sin was binding you will lose its grip. The world cannot do this. Sin is persistent. It is like a python. It grabs, holds, and slowly constricts. With every breath it gets tighter and tighter. The world cannot fix this. The world normalizes sin. Where must I go? I must go to Jesus. I must go to his Word.

I must make myself home in His Word!

Some people say “My sin has trapped me, so I will focus on my sin.” That doesn’t work. That’s like going on a diet and studying a Pizza Hut menu so you’ll know what to avoid. It’s counterproductive. Repent of your sin, but make yourself at home in Christ’s Word. Read His Word daily. Read it through several times, hundreds of times, thousands of times. Never finish reading. Immerse yourselves in His Word. Meditate on it. Study it. Memorize it. I can walk through my home with my eyes closed because it is my home. I can visualize every room in my home, so even in the darkness I know where I am at. As His Word floods your soul you will be freed from sin. Study what the Bible says about sexual sin, about marriage, about raising your family, about everything.

But first and foremost make yourselves at home with what Jesus has said about HIMSELF. Jesus told the Pharisees:

John 8:42-43 (KJV) … If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.  [43]  Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.

Unless you know Him as Lord and Savior, unless you have first rested in His ability to save you, you cannot hear His Word. The lost person can only hear the Gospel, and then only if the Spirit opens their hearts to the message. You must rest in Him. You must believe in Him. You must solely trust Him. When you do, then He bids you come … make yourselves at home in His Word.