[Music] hey let's open up our Bibles to the Gospel of John chapter 5 John chapter 5 so pleased that you're here and what a wonderful time it is if we feel that again it's a great season not only for us to remember Jesus to glorify Him just to enjoy the good things in Christmas but we also feel every time it's a season of opportunity people are eager and willing and have an open door to talk about Jesus this time of year like never before and so we just want to embrace it it's not just something we enjoy even though we enjoy it so much but listen it's a great season of opportunity we pray god help us to make the most of every opportunity to give us so with our Bibles open to John chapter five we're gonna begin at verse 19 let me pray before we get into God's Word together right now father in heaven we thank you we thank you for this season we thank you Lord that even though there are people who find this an unpleasant or an uncomfortable season we thank you they even though the even though people will run up their credit cards way too much we thank you that even though there's some difficulties associated with this time of year nevertheless it's a time when our culture allows us to speak about Jesus more than ever and Lord we pray that you would give us wisdom and courage and boldness to use this open door just to bring glory to your name and Lord we want to receive with joy because you're a good God and you've given us the greatest gift of all in your son Jesus Christ so this morning speak to us work in our hearts and minds as we give attention to your word we pray this in Jesus name Amen amen John chapter 5 beginning at verse 19 where we read then jesus answered and said to them most assuredly I say to you the son can do nothing of himself but what he sees the father do for whatever he does the Sun also does in like manner for the Father loves the Son and shows him all things that he himself does and he will show him greater works than these that you may marvel what we begin with verse 19 of John chapter 5 is an extended speech of Jesus's that goes all the way to the end of the chapter and this speech has an occasion behind it Jesus came to a place called the Pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem and he picked out one man afflicted from all the other rests there that were gathered around the pool who were blind and lame and had this illness and that injury Jesus picked one of those men and he miraculously healed him and he told him I want you to rise take up your bed and walk and the man did that healed by a miracle of Jesus there was just one ominous word to it though it was the sabbath day that jesus told the man to rise take up his bed and walk and when the religious leaders among the jewish people at that time saw a man carrying his bed mat instantly they thought Sabbath violation they didn't think miraculous healing they said Sabbath violation and they questioned the man and it turned out that the man eventually revealed to the religious authorities that Jesus was the one who told him to take up his bed and walk and that it was upon the Sabbath day that he told him to do that this was a huge controversy so Jesus now is going to get into an extended conversation although it's a one-way conversation Jesus is doing all the talking here between now in the end of the chapter 5 of the Gospel of John and in it he's gonna talk to him about who he is friends I got to tell you right up front what we're gonna look at in the following verses to the end of the chapter is an extremely deep section of Scripture I'm telling you right now I could easily spend 5 6 7 weeks going through these 20 or so verses and I would find it very enjoyable and I think there would be aspects of it as well but there's also value in taking it as it was written Jesus did not deliver this speech to the religious leaders over five or six weeks he did it on one occasion and that's why we're gonna take a look and we're gonna go over the surface of it and take a survey instead of sinking down into the great depth of this text because it is indeed deep I mean take a look at what Jesus said to them he says first of all in verse 19 the son can do nothing of himself Jesus explained to them that he God the son does nothing independently he is fully he is completely submitted to the Father's will the friends don't miss this in the way that God explains his triune nature to us he talks about the father and the son and there is a normal and appropriate hierarchy in that relationship the father and the son have a relationship where the Sun is in logical submission to the Father that's just appropriate and Jesus explains that he lived and functioned after that pattern the verse 19 again the son can do nothing of himself and in a way he's explaining this in light of the Sabbath controversy he's saying you guys accused me of breaking the Sabbath I'm only doing what my father told me to do I didn't do anything independently but what the father told me to do I did and then he says this in verse 19 whatever the son does excuse me whatever he does the son also does in like manner Jesus explained that his work was a perfect reflection of the manner and the work of God the Father Jesus showed us exactly what the work and the will of God the Father is the friends I think this is a very important point not neglected there are many people and I won't blame anybody here if you've come to church this morning with this mindset there are many people have this kind of conception of how God is they think of it this way you know there is a mean old God in the Old Testament that always seems to be angry with people and judging people but then he sent his much nicer son Jesus you know kind of one of these good-cop bad-cop things on the much nicer son Jesus who came and somehow made that angry God of the Old Testament all happy and everything and they want to make this great division between the father and the son as if the father is the judging legalistic harsh one but Jesus is full of love and mercy and walking through the flowers and putting them in children's hair listen this is a grave misconception of what the Bible teaches and I tell you what it does it makes it err on both parts what it does first of all is it blinds itself to the Grace and love of mercy of God as it is revealed in the Old Testament liesje I'm not trying to deny for a moment that there's judgment in the Old Testament on Wednesday night we took a look at the book Jeremiah that's judgment folks and it's real I'm not trying to deny for a moment but it's easy to blind yourself to the rich heritage of love and grace and mercy that's displayed over and over again in the Old Testament that's the one side of the blindness the second side of the blindness comes to taking a look at Jesus in the New Testament ladies and gentlemen Jesus was a man who also proclaimed the holy standard of God and said that humanity would be judged by it there's a lot of people have this kind of conception of and I don't know the best way to phrase it I think you'll get my idea when I say this they have the conception of the hippy Jesus it's just all kind of hey man peace and love and everything's cool and everything's good and nobody hurts each other and we're all fine Lisa Janice we're gonna see in this particular discourse that Jesus gives he says I'm gonna judge the world the whole world is going to stand in judgment examine I'm gonna stand in judgment rather over the entire world see do you see how people miss the love and the grace and the mercy of God the Father in the Old Testament but then they miss the righteousness and the holiness and the holy standard of Jesus in the New Testament both of them are true and what we find when we take a look at it biblically is we find that it's true that the son is a perfect representation of the father now going on here to verse 21 Jesus says this for as the father raises the dead and gives life to them even so the Sun gives life to whom he will for the father judges no one but has committed all judgment to the Sun that all should honor the son just as they honor the father he who does not honor the son does not honor the father who sent him did you notice what power Jesus claimed unto himself look at it right there in verse 21 as the father raises the dead and gives life to them even so the son gives life to whom he will Jesus use this work of resurrection to talk about the shared work of the Father and the son the father raises the dead so does the son the son has the power and the authority the dead and to give life to them just as the father does and ladies and gentlemen do you understand that when Jesus said that he was making a claim to ultimate power I don't know what greater power a person can have than to raise the dead and Jesus says that power is in its entirety now again I just want you to stand back and notice this for a moment I want you to picture in your mind this scene as Jesus speaks to the religious leaders explaining this can you see the look of astonishment on the face of the religious leaders they cannot believe that a man standing right in front of them a man whose breath they can feel as he speaks to them they can't believe that this man who speaks to them claims to have the right to raise people from the dead they're astonished when Jesus says this and well they should be astonished he goes on verse 22 to explain that the father has committed all judgment to the son now not only is there a shared work and resurrection but they're sort of a division of labor as between the father and the son in regards to the work of judgment friends it is before God the son that people will stand on the day of judgment you ever thought about that that Jesus will be the one who judges with all wisdom with all righteousness with all holiness with all love it will be Jesus himself why verse 23 look at this point that all should the son just as they honor the father see God the father gave this work of judgment to God the Son so that people would appropriately honor God the Son Jesus Christ they said when you should give honor to Jesus because that's who people are gonna stand before on the day of judgment you should give honor and attention and glory to Jesus therefore people should honor the son notice this phrase in verse 23 just as they honor the father now as I picture this scene in my mind and I look at the religious leaders their jaws are dropping when Jesus said this I don't know how to say this in a nice way but if Jesus is not whom he said he was if Jesus did not speak the truth here he is a blasphemer he is and can I feel like I'm walking on very thin ice here and I hope I'm not misunderstood maybe I have to recall this you know from the website or something like that if Jesus is not whom he said he was then he is a devil why do I say that because he told all humanity right there in verse 23 that they should honor him just as people honor God the Father in heaven what honor do we owe to God the Father in heaven everything all honor all worship all praise all adoration that's what we owe to God the Father in heaven and can you imagine the audaciousness of a man standing in front ease people and say yeah that's what you should give to me now again everything hinges upon the question is it real or is it not if Jesus really is whom he says he is then it all makes sense if he's not then he's a blasphemer this was a clear claim to deity Jesus designating himself as the Son and if he were not God himself then it was idolatry what he told them to do right there in verse 23 but continuing on here to verse 24 he says this most assuredly I say to you he who hears my word and believes in Him who sent me has everlasting life and shall not come into judgment but has passed from death into life most assuredly I say to you the hour is coming and now is when the Dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live for the father has life in himself so he has granted the son to have life in himself and has given him authority to execute judgment also because he is the son of man again you got to be impressed with the sheer audaciousness of Jesus's statements here look at what he says in verse 24 he hears my word and believes in him who has sent me has everlasting life do you want to have everlasting life Jesus says believe my word believe trust in me now friends we got to remember again what Jesus meant by that idea of belief in the ancient world in the ancient languages the concept of belief is far more than just to give intellectual agreement to it's to trust in its to rely on its to cling to and I'm not asking you this morning to merely give intellectual agreement to the words that Jesus says I'm asking you to trust in it to rely upon it to cling to it with your life that's what Jesus says and Jesus says if you'll do that you have everlasting life and then notice this great statement in verse 25 the Dead will hear the voice of the Son of God than those who hear will live again Jesus on that great day will call forth the living and the dead to come forth on that final day and he is the one who is in charge of that and again I just want you to notice picture it in your mind the look of astonishment on the faces of the religious leaders as Jesus says such bold words but he's not finished yet verse 28 do not marvel at this for the hour is come in which all who are in the graves will hear his voice and come forth those who have done good to the resurrection of life and those who have done evil to the resurrection of condemnation I can of myself do nothing as I hear I judge and my judgment is righteous because I do not seek my own will but the will of the Father who sent me again do you look at the greatness of the claims look at verse 28 again the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear his voice can you see Jesus gesturing to himself as he says that they're gonna hear my voice friends who would ever say this in the Bible would Abraham say this would king David say this would Moses say this no because they were men perhaps uniquely inspired by God but they were merely men Jesus stands before these religious leaders directly and plainly claiming that he's more than a man that he is God Himself who has the authority not just of judgment but to call people to resurrection and look at that phrase in verse 29 friends it's sobering the resurrection of life and the resurrection of condemnation Jesus explained to the astonished religious leaders that he has this particular nature this particular authority in his deity and he says something remarkable about humanity in the midst of that he says that look at it in verse 29 again that those who have done good and those who have done evil will live forever they're gonna live forever they're gonna be raised again to a resurrection life friends I don't know if there are more chilling words in the Bible than those three words resurrection of condemnation I feel a little self-aware talking about it because we think about this life and and we realize that the Bible plainly teaches us that this life that we live this human material existence it is not the end of it that there is a life beyond this I don't know if you believe it or you don't believe it but I'm just telling you that the Bible teaches it that when a person takes their last breath on this earth they don't cease their existence rather there is an immaterial part of them that lives on and one day in some way in some sense that immaterial part of them will be embodied again in a resurrection body and when we think of a resurrection body then we usually think of hey man isn't it great I'm going to be walking the streets of gold I'm gonna see the pearly gates in heaven I'll be united with all my friend and loved ones in heaven that's what resurrection is all about and friends for those who embrace Jesus for those who are received into his kingdom that is what resurrection means but that's not the only aspect of resurrection that exists there is a resurrection of condemnation now I just want to lay it out plainly before you if it is true that there is a resurrection of life and that there is a resurrection of condemnation if that is true isn't it worth everything in this life to make sure you're on the right side of that equation it's not worth it now look I I know I know that there at least theoretically are some people who are so enthralled with the age to come their mind is so filled with the thoughts of heaven or whatever the life beyond that to use a cliche people say they're so heavenly minded they're of no earthly good I suppose that that's possible but I'll be honestly I don't think that that's attendance of our age do you think that the common person who walks the streets of Santa Barbara is too heavenly minded to be of any earthly good they probably never give the life beyond even a passing thought and Jesus is saying you need to deal with me now so that you end up on the right side of that equation resurrection of life or resurrection of condemnation so that you end up on the right side of that equation in the here and now now I don't know the text doesn't tell us I don't know if the astonished religious leaders blurted out something who do you think you are what are you saying goes I don't know maybe they were answering back maybe it was a little more of a dialogue than our text right here immediately exposes but what I do know is that coming into verse 31 jesus sort of changes before in the previous verses that we discussed Jesus is telling him in the biggest the most grand terms how great he is that he has the power of Resurrection the power judgment that he is one with his father that he only does what the father pleases the on and on and on but starting in verse 31 that the text changes a little bit Jesus is gonna explain to them why they should believe in him why in other words it's almost as if somebody shouted out who do you think you are I wouldn't be surprised somebody did it would actually be pretty logical question so look at Jesus answering that hypothetical question who do you think you are verse 31 if I bear witness of myself my witness is not true there is another who bears witness of me and I know that the witness which he witnesses of me is true in other words she said oh you guys are shocked because I'm saying these things about myself well let me just tell you my status my veracity my truth it isn't only based on what I say about myself friends have you ever met a mentally ill person who makes grand claims about themselves they think they're this they think they're that they think they're the president of a corporation they think that they're a biblical character come to life again they may all these would crazy claims about themselves I've encountered people like that a few times and they live under a delusion and maybe geez trying to say do you guys think I'm delusional just because I say these things about myself what evidence do you think I have now that's what I want you understand in the following verses Jesus is gonna call several people I think five different aspects of testimony in regard to who he is do you say what you saying he's saying this don't take my word for it alone I love that attitude on Jesus's part because look if he is God which I believe he is doesn't have the right to say take my word on it alone why am i God because I say I am okay that might be enough listen Jesus says no I don't want you to trust in that alone I want to demonstrate it to you through a five-fold testimony to Who I am do you understand through this that Jesus is telling us that he does not want you he doesn't want me to have a blind faith and Jesus does not call us to a blind faith he says let me demonstrate Who I am by five witnesses by five testimonies number one the testimony of John the Baptist verse 33 you have sent to John and he has borne witness to the truth yet I do not receive testimony from man but I say these things that you may be saved he was the burning and shining lamp and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light do you see what he said verse 33 you have sent to John and he bore witness to the truth hey you guys respect to John the Baptist didn't you what did you pay attention to what he said about me what he said about me is completely consistent with what I'm telling you about myself that's the first witness the second witness is found in verse 36 but I have a greater witness than John's for the works which the father has given me to finish the very works that I do bear witness of me that the father has sent me okay let me give you a second testimony Who I am it's the works that I do among you that's my very works I just healed a guy who had been paralyzed for 38 years doesn't that count for anything Jesus is saying now friends when you think about all the amazing miracles that Jesus did we think about how ow he reached out to sick and afflicted humanity with that gentle touch of God's power and God's compassion it absolutely amazes us but do you understand that this was even before the cross if Jesus were to point to any work any single work that demonstrates that he's God wouldn't he look forward to the work of dying on the cross and raising from the dead those are his greatest works that demonstrate who he is and the truth of his statements about himself right now he just has in mind that works that he's done among them witness number three beginning at verse 37 and the father himself who sent me as testified of me you have neither heard his voice at any time nor seen his form but you do not have his word abiding in you because whom he sent him you do not believe Jesus let me call my third witness to the witness stand let's listen to the testimony of God the Father God the Father approves of me he might say well when to God the Father say this declaration of Jesus well I'll tell you one place that he did it was at the very baptism of Jesus when Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist which by the way he did not because Jesus himself was a sinner but because he wanted to identify with sinful humanity you and I when Jesus came up out of the waters of baptism do you remember what happened a voice from heaven rang out and said this this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased I think that's a pretty good testimony from the father about who Jesus is so Jesus says just don't take my word for it listen to what God the Father says of me now I'll give you my fourth testimony verse thirty-nine you search the Scriptures for in them you think you have eternal life and these are they which testify of me I want you to notice what he said there in verse 39 he told the religious leaders you searched the scriptures and friends of the religious leaders of Jesus's day it was absolutely true these were men who searched the Scriptures they memorized large portions of the Old Testament they were if you say Bible experts they knew not only what the Bible itself said in many places but they knew what this rabbi and that commentator said all about it they studied and memorized and thought upon the scriptures continually and they correctly did this because they thought that eternal life was found in God's revelation yet nevertheless when Jesus himself the Living Word stood right in front of them they rejected him isn't that strange that you could be into the ink on the page so to speak even though they wrote with parchment and all of that but you get the figure here you can be into the ink on the page but miss Jesus himself friends this is a huge warning for those of us who follow Jesus Christ here's the warning it's possible to know a lot about the Bible and Miss Jesus it's possible you got to guard yourself against that you got to make sure that you don't become some Bible expert who's detached from a real living loving submitted relationship to Jesus Christ that's where we all have to be and then he says in verse 39 these are they which testify of me you see if their scripture study of the scriptures were accurate and sincere they would have seen that the Scriptures speak of the Messiah God the Son because they rejected Jesus it showed that they weren't getting it about the Scriptures themselves so he continues on verse 40 but you are not willing to come to me that you may have life I do not receive honour from men but I know that you do not have the love of God in you I have come in my father's name and you do not receive me if another comes in his own name him you will receive how can you believe who receive honor from one another and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God notice two things here first of all verse 40 he says you are not willing to come to me friends isn't that what it comes down to here is Jesus he's revealed to you from the Scriptures he's revealed to you by the voice of the Spirit that speaks your heart and you know what God gives you a choice right there are you willing to come to him are you not willing don't try to say that Jesus hasn't give me enough evidence he's given you enough evidence to believe you you don't have to take a blind leap of faith you may have to take a step of faith but not a blind leap of faith and finally it comes down to you and I are you willing to believe and these particular religious leaders were not willing to believe why because verse 44 says that they sought the honor that comes from man and not the honor that comes from God they're worried about the reputation Jesus I would be willing to put my trust in you and surrender my life to your lordship but man all my friends will think I'm such a weirdo if I do that alright fine do you understand you put yourself in exactly the category here of someone who decides on Jesus who's not willing to come to them because they're more concerned about the honor that comes from man and the honor that comes from God it's your choice God loves you enough and honors you enough to give you that particular choice and then verse 45 he's gonna give one last aspect of the testimony this is number five the testimony of Moses he says this do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father there is one who accuses you Moses in whom you trust for if you believed Moses you would believe me for he wrote about me but if you do not believe his writings how will you believe my words did you see that in verse 46 he says if you notice you would believe me why did these religious leaders at least at this time why did they reject Jesus it wasn't because they believed the Bible too much it was because they didn't believe it enough if they understood and believed it better they would see how moisés in all of his writings points towards jesus again and again and holds up Jesus as the Lord as the Savior as the Messiah and rejecting Moses they also reject Jesus and then he says verse 47 if you don't believe his writings how will you believe my words friends that's what I want you understand and we can close with this point Jesus was not calling these religious leaders to a new belief he wasn't calling them to a new religion he said hey everybody let's get rid of your Judaism and let's begin a new religion we'll call it Jesus anity or something like that no no no no he was calling them to fulfill what God had been doing from the very beginning he said I don't want you to be lesson to Moses I want you to understand him better because I want you to be willing to receive me my friends let me just close with this every one of us everyday have this choice to make are we willing to believe in Jesus to trust in to rely on to cling to now I don't blame somebody for saying David I did that 40 years ago I gave my life to Jesus Christ now listen isn't it true that there is a sense in which we do it and new every day every day we believe all over again Jesus you are the son of God father I need you Jesus show me who you are through your word and in my life because you want the Jesus who is really there revealed to us by the scriptures now I trust that in the study of the words of Jesus that he has revealed himself to it you know there's another way that Jesus reveals himself to us it's when we partake of the bread and the cup of communion so I'm gonna pray right now worship team is gonna come on back out and we're gonna prepare ourselves to come to the Lord's table and I want you to think of it this way Lord you've revealed yourself to me in and through your word now I want you to reveal yourself even more in and through what you did for me on the cross let's prepare ourselves for that right now father in heaven we're grateful we are so grateful Jesus that even though you made such audacious claims about yourself you could back them up and it wasn't just your word that we should take for it Lord though your word should be enough for us Lord you brought forth five witnesses to testify of you it drives out within us Lord any reason for unbelief we ask Jesus that you would help us to believe a new afresh all over again that you are not only the son of God you are God the Son so speak to us now Lord and prepare our hearts to receive from your table in Jesus name [Music] you