Worship the Son

Read

John 5:18–29 (ESV)

18 This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.

19 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing.

For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.

20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel.

21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will.

22 For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, 23 that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.

24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

25 “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.

26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man.

28 Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29 and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.

Opening Prayer

Setting the Stage

Clarity of the Doctrine of God, specifically the relationship of the Godhead.

The eternal Son of God became flesh.

He took upon Himself a human nature...

So as to have two natures in one person.

The two natures are not mixed.

So that, when we Christ speaks regarding Himself...

He interchangeably speaks of Himself as the Divine Son and at different times as the Man.

Last Sunday, we looked at v.19-20...

And, Christ is teaching us...

1.) The Father and the Son are not separate in will, mind, agenda, motive.

Rather, they are united in those very things.

So much so, that Jesus says not only does He not do things independently from the Father...

But, He cannot.

So, we see this beautiful harmony between the Father and the Son.

They are not separate or independent of One another, but are One.

And, we looked at the first two “because” statements in v.19 and v.20…

2) The Son can do, and does all that the Father does and the Son does it in the same exact manner.

He does it with the same motive, goal, power, and efficacy.

3) The Father loves the Son perfectly and trusts the Son perfectly.

That perfect love discloses all things to the Son.

They know identically…which the Bible teaches us is omniscience.

Now, this morning, I want us to transition to the 3rd “because” by reading the closing phrase of v.20...

John 5:20 (ESV)

20 ...And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel.

Remember that Jesus is now speaking to those who oppose Him.

He’s protecting and explaining with wonderful clarity the Doctrine of God...

And, how He, as the Son of God, relates to it as equal with God.

Not separate or an Other God.

And, He tells them that they haven’t seen anything yet.

What’s greater than the healing of a 38 year paralyzed man instantly being restored to full health?

Well, Jesus moves us on to the greater.

The “because” of why & what they will see greater things.

John 5:21 (ESV)

21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will.

What is being said here...

Obviously God the Father has the power to give life.

That was certainly the OT understanding.

Only God can give life.

Remember when Naaman wanted to be healed of leprosy...

And, the King of Syria sent him to the King of Israel with a letter from the King of Syria asking him to heal Naaman.

And, the King of Israel read the letter, and his response was...

2 Kings 5:7 (ESV)

7 And when the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and to make alive...

The only person that can kill and bring back to life is God.

So, God the Father has the power to raise the dead by giving them life.

But, so also, the Son has...

The Power of Life

And, not only does He have the omnipotent, resurrecting power to grant life to someone...

But, He has the sovereign choice to give it to whom He wills...

21...so also the Son gives life to whom he will.

This statement carries the implication that He, also, has the sovereign choice to withhold it from whom He wills.

Now, the next “because” explains with greater detail...

John 5:22–23 (ESV)

22 For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son,

Why does the Father judge no one?

Because judgment has been designated as the role of the Son.

But, at the same time, we must remember what Jesus has already said.

The Father and the Son do not have independent wills.

Nothing happens or is done that is not in complete unity with the Triune God.

And, so this is a prime example of the roles of the Triune God...

Roles that do not mean inequality...

Rather, roles of operation in the relationship with Creation.

Roles that are carried out with the same will & efficacy...

Which point us back to unity and equality of being.

So, now we see that...

The Son Judges All Things

Both the Father and the Son have the prerogative to give life...

But, the Son has the role of Judge.

He judges who to give resurrection life to...

And, He chooses whom to withhold resurrecting life from.

Which is a reminder that God is not obligated to give anyone Resurrecting Life.

All God does towards mankind is a gracious act.

God has always been known as the Judge of all the earth...

When Abraham was pleading with God for potential righteous people in Sodom....

Genesis 18:25 (ESV)

25 Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?”

Compared to our current passage...

22 For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son,

Now we know that the Son of God has that same power.

Again, remembering that all that the Son does is in unison with the Father.

All judgment has been given to the Son...

—> Why?

that…so that…in order that

23 that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father.

Worship the Son

[in order that all honor the Son in the same manner and with the same degree as they honor the Father]

This is astounding.

The Father and the Son are of the same mind, same will, same motive, same power, same efficacy...

And, not only the same in Activity, but the same in Honor.

This takes Jesus way beyond an Ambassador, a representative of the King...

The Ambassador doesn’t receive the same honor as the King who sent Him.

But, Jesus is to receive the same honor as the Father.

And, we’re told in John 17 and elsewhere in the NT that the glorification of the Son is exactly what glorifies the Father.

When the Son is glorified it also equally glorifies the Father.

Now, let’s think about this truth that Jesus is declaring.

We’re used to this teaching…worship the Son, the Savior, our Lord.

All prescriptive declarations of the NT.

But, in the context of this being said, let’s think about this against the OT.

Isaiah 42:8 (ESV)

8 I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols.

Isaiah 48:11 (ESV)

11 For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned?

My glory I will not give to another.

This is repeated through out the OT and the NT...

God does not share His glory.

Think about Pharaoh who desired glory over God...

God decimated Egypt.

Think of Nebuchadnezzar who took glory for himself.

God drove him crazy and made him live like a beast until he acknowledged God as the sovereign, omnipotent that alone deserves glory.

Think about Paul and Barnabas when the crowds started offering sacrifices to them...

Calling them Zeus and Hermes.

Paul & Barnabas did everything they could to let the crowd know that they were mere men, just like the crowd.

They didn’t deserve glory, honor, or worship.

Think about Herod in Acts 12 when the crowds started worshipping Herod as God...

And, God struck him dead.

God does not share His glory with another.

Glory, in the ultimate, biblical sense, is reserved for God alone.

And, those who seek it tread on treacherous ground.

But, Jesus is honored by God in multiple scenes in the NT...

His baptism.

The Mount of Transfiguration.

Ultimately, the resurrection.

And, ascension to the right hand of the Father.

God the Father and God the Son equally share the honor and glory of God.

Not equally in each get 50%.

But, equally in that when either are honored, both are honored.

100% of the honor and glory go to each. [HS later]

So much so that Jesus goes on to say...

Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.

You Cannot Honor the Father Without Equally Honoring the Son

Jesus does everything God does, creation, providence, miracle, judgment, salvation, everything...

In order that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father.

He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.

Here Jesus says that he does not only do the works of God...

He also deserves the worship of God, the honor that belongs to God alone.

Think again of the Old Testament, of how God jealously guarded the worship of Israel.

God fully disallowed them to worship any other gods, any angels, any idols or images, any human beings...

Anything other than Himself, the one and only true God.

Now here comes Jesus, and he says, “worship me.”

As you worship God, worship Me.

As you honor God, honor Me.

Let’s think about this...

How do you honor the Son?

Repent of your sins, behaviors and thoughts and ideologies that dishonor the Lord.

Believe the Lord and His Word and His promises in Jesus.

Rest in the finished work of Jesus, His perfect life and His perfect atoning sacrifice on the Cross.

Rest and find hope in Him, that He conquered the grave.

Honor Him by yielding to Him and finding satisfaction in Him.

Obey Him...

Not for the blessings those blessing of obedience are only found in Jesus and by our Union with Him.

Obey Him...

Not in fear of the curses those curses are removed only by Jesus Christ and by our Union with Him.

We’ll pick again next week.

But what a salvation, what a Savior we can rest in fully and exclusively.

Closing Prayer