Do You Believe?

Introduction

Good morning,

Today we wrap up the confrontation between Jesus and the religious leaders. Remember that this entire conflict began when Jesus healed the lame man at the pool. The issue is that this took place on the Sabbath. The religious leaders had 2 problems with this, 1. the fact it was the sabbath and 2. Jesus claimed equality with God. Last week we saw Jesus expound upon His relationship with the Father.

John 5:19 (NIV)

Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.

Cited in Townsend, “C.S. Lewis Theology”

If [Christ] was not God, who or what was He?…The doctrine of Christ’s divinity seems to me not something stuck on…but something that peeps out at every point [of the New Testament] so that you have to unravel the whole web to get rid of it…and if you take away the Godhead of Christ, what is Christianity all about?

The answer to this question? NOTHING, without the deity of Christ there’s no Christian faith, no Gospel, no power to save.

Jesus ends this confrontation essentially by saying, “Don’t Just Take My Word For It” he lists out others who will testify on his behalf.

It reminds me of those infomercials we see on tv. You have the main spokesperson telling you all these great things about their product, then they say those word’s, “But don’t take my word for it...” Then we see interviews with various users of the product and they give their experience using the product. Sometimes nothing the spokesperson says will get our attention, but hearing from those who have used the product, now that we will listen to.

Examination

John 5:31–47 (NIV)

“If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true. There is another who testifies in my favor, and I know that his testimony about me is true.

“You have sent to John and he has testified to the truth. Not that I accept human testimony; but I mention it that you may be saved. John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light.

“I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to finish—the very works that I am doing—testify that the Father has sent me. And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.

“I do not accept glory from human beings, but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?

“But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?”

5:31–47 In this section of the discourse, Jesus takes up the trial motif established in John 1:7 and discusses the witnesses who have been sent to testify to His identity. The witnesses listed here are John the Baptist (vv. 33–35), Jesus’ signs (v. 36), God the Father (vv. 37–38), and the Scriptures (vv. 39, 45–47). All four testify to God sending Jesus to bring eternal life to those who would believe.

John 5:31 (NIV)

“If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true.

Here Jesus appeals to their legality

my testimony is not true In the legal sense of “true” as evidence for trial. One who testifies about himself needs supporting witnesses to validate his testimony. Biblical law requires two witnesses for testimony to be legally valid (Deut 17:6; 19:15).

John 5:33–35 (NIV)

“You have sent to John and he has testified to the truth. Not that I accept human testimony; but I mention it that you may be saved. John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light.

The John mentioned here is John the Baptist, remember, John the Disciple never uses his name to identify himself. Jesus explains here that John the Baptist was their witness, that they “chose for a time to enjoy his light.” John was, at one time, thought very highly of, especially in Jewish circles. But the usage of the term burned here implies something that has gone out. Meaning, that while they enjoyed him for a time, they did not want to accept all He had to say, especially regarding Christ. In short, they did not take him seriously.

John 5:36 (NIV)

“I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to finish—the very works that I am doing—testify that the Father has sent me.

Jesus' second testimony is His works, which you would think may carry even more weight than the testimony of John. We see the word “works” in the plural here showing that this was not citing one miracle but many. John loves to use the word “works” to reference the miracles of Christ. The Greek word erga, meaning works, appears 27 times in John’s Gospel. While we see Jesus using works as a basis for His witness, we know that faith should not come by seeing miracles, but those works always reflect the character of Christ. We see throughout scripture the Father using works to show his character, (Plagues of Egypt, Burning Bush with Moses, Burning altar of Elijah)

John 5:37–38 (NIV)

And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent.

Jesus now adds the Father to his witness list. We learned last week that Jesus and the Father are one and that all authority given to Christ comes solely from the Father.

Matthew 3:17 (NIV)

And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

Everything Jesus has done is a witness to the Father because it is through the Father that these things took place. During this time, the people did not know God through their own experiences, they only knew Him through their traditions. They have rejected the testimony of God by rejecting Jesus. God reveals Himself to us in 3 ways, His messengers, His works, and His Word. Jesus gives the religious leaders these 3 examples, A prophet, Supernatural works, and Scripture which we see in verses 39-40.

John 5:39–40 (NIV)

You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.

Jesus again pulls no punches as he calls out the Jewish Leaders for their diligence in the scriptures. They found fulfillment through learning the Torah, but Jesus is telling them that the fulfillment they seek can only be found in Him. He is the giver of eternal life, not simply knowledge of Him.

John 5:41–47 (NIV)

“I do not accept glory from human beings, but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?

“But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?”

In the final portion of today’s focus, we see Jesus shift tactics and go on the counterattack. Jesus tells them that He does not need human approval and that He knows their hearts. How gut-wrenching this would be. He is telling them that they have all the knowledge, they have studied so much, but they are just missing it. Instead, Jesus tells them that they will be more willing to accept one who comes in their name. We have evidence of no less than 63 messianic frauds who drew the following. People followed them because their teachings confirmed what they wanted to hear. That's what the Jewish leaders wanted out of Jesus, Him to be conformed to their image. Finally, Jesus turns their way of thinking on its head. They thought that Moses was on their side, that law and tradition were on their side. Jesus instead shows them that Moses was speaking about Him

Application

1. Jesus is the ONLY way to SALVATION

This entire section, and the entire Gospel explains this to us

In Today’s world we are taught we can find our ways

Jesus confronted this head-on and unapologetically told the world that He was the only way

Today is Father’s Day

Fathers are called to

Be the provider, protector, and leader

More importantly, be the spiritual leader

As a father, are you impressing upon your children, your wife, and your family, the importance of truly knowing Christ?

I will admit at times for me this can even be a struggle, life gets crazy, and we lose track of time.

2. Scriptural Knowledge is NOT ENOUGH

Simply knowing about Christ is not enough

The Religious leaders spent their entire lives studying, it was a source of pride for them

They were so blinded by their knowledge that they allowed themselves to miss what was right in front of them.

Jesus confronted them, called them out to their faces, and still they thought they knew better.

Now I feel we use this sometimes the wrong way

We think if scriptural knowledge is not enough then we don't have to know it.

If we know Jesus that's all we need

While yes, the reality is if we know Jesus we will want to know Him better, the only way to do that is to read His Word.

Often times people think because they know of Him that they know Him and that's wrong

I think, by and large, the American church has failed to make this distinction

If we do not know Jesus we cannot truly KNOW Scripture

So Father’s again I turn to you

Are you prioritizing scripture in your home

A step further, in your own life?

Are you ensuring that knowledge is not just sticking in their heads, but penetrating their hearts?

Scriptural knowledge is not enough, there must be a relationship

3. Jesus’ testimony is TRUE

By noting this we must accept all of who he is

We must learn His testimony, and we must live it

We must share that with the world

His testimony arms us with the truths we need to fight off society and sin

Jesus is truth, and we only can know truth by knowing Him

In this portion of scripture, Jesus did not need to explain himself

He knew the hearts of the men before him, He knew they would not get it

He did it for our benefit

Fathers have you created a home that:

Stands on the truth of Christ

Affirms His testimony

Learns His Word

Facilitates spiritual growth

Challenges your family to know more

Conclusion

Jesus’ interaction here was for our benefit. For us to see all the ways he was affirmed Despite this the leaders did not believe. Despite all we have today, so many still do not believe and the numbers continue to grow. In the face of all of this, we must stand firm. As Christ stood before those who questioned Him, we must learn to stand on Him. Dad’s that begins with you. Are you ready? What do you need to do today to change the trajectory of your home? The world is fighting for your family, are you fighting back? We think in our small town that nothing will happen, we are ok here. That is Satan’s greatest trap. Father commit yourselves today to do more. Set time aside for your family, and prioritize reading the Word together. So when the battles come you can face with the fervor our Lord did as he answered questions in the face of hostility on who He was.