Jesus IS - The Gospel of John Pt 5 -Jesus is the one with all authority!
Jesus Is - The Gospel of John • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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GREET EVERYONE-
Good Morning Loved Ones
If I have not had a chance to meet you; My name is Scott and I am a follower of Jesus and have the privilege of serving Him as the Lead Pastor among the people of Stonewater Fellowship.
Our Vision:
We Desire see every follower of Jesus well equipped and fully deployed on the mission of Jesus.
What mission? - This questions leads us to articulate His mission for His church in a simple way.
Our Mission:
Is to engage people into a multiplying relationship with Jesus!
PASTOR INVITES
1- New Members Classes
LETS GRAB OUR BIBLES IF YOU HAVE ONE AND
Open it to John Chapter 5 and verse 18 as conclude our current series “Jesus is” where we have been exposing what God says, through the Apostle John, about who Jesus IS -
Which really is just one part of walking together through the Gospel of John.
PRAYER OVER SERIES
My prayer is that we will be able to identify Jesus, in our life, with some titles that should be very personal and intimate to each one of us when we say Jesus IS -
my Bridegroom
All Satisfying to me
the sower of Eternal Life for me
my great Healer
the one true God with Authority over my life.
I really pray that we go way way way beyond saying "Jesus is” these things simply becasue the Bible says Jesus is these things
- although that is important!
I pray that we would say these things becasue Jesus actually IS these things in our life!
That He would actually Be these things to us in real and tangible ways.
I believe that what we know from the whole council of Scripture is that Jesus ONLY becomes these things, as a reality in our life Because of two things that are completely interconnected and cannot be separated From Each other:
Jesus ONLY becomes these things as a reality in our lives to us through our experience with HIM
and our experience with Him ONLY happens through our active, intentional and purposeful devotion to Him.
This is why the Apostle Paul writes to the Corinthian Church That in all “the love of Christ would controls us, because we have all concluded: that JESUS has died for all, therefore all who believe that have died to ourselves to such a degree that we who are still alive would no longer live for ourselves but for Jesus who for our sake died and was raised”
PRAYER OVER MESSAGE
IS that we would begin to recognize that Jesus is LORD!
When I say Lord -
When we hear the Scripture say “Lord” we know what that means -
IT means “He is in charge” He has Authority”
and not that we would believe that as a fact - Like believing something is true becasue someone said it is true.
I am not praying that we simply agree with Jesus or with the bible that the words of Jesus and the words of the Bible are true and accurate.
An ALL Of that is Important -
Loved ones. I am praying that We would recognize that Jesus is the one true God who has all authority over our lives to actually tell us what to do.
My prayer s that we would recognize Him as having this authority that we would more fully obey HIM.
That we would obey Him because of who He is and what He has done for us and in that we would experience His great love for us.
And it would be His great love that compels us to allow Him full authority in our lives, and we would obey.
ENGAGEMENT –
I am pretty sure that at some level - most if not all of us - really don't like authority all that much.
I mean think about it -
From the time we can say our fist words -
What are some of the first words we say that might indicate, we don't like Authority all that much?
NO” and MINE”
Johnny - Share with your little brother - Or Sally give some to your little sister.
NO MINE!
ALL the way to the known fact that most of us if not all of us either just ignore the speed limit sign altogether -
OR (here is the funny)
We know what the speed limit says - We never go the speed limit - We always Speed. and here is what we say.
“Pastor, If you don't speed you will get run over!”
“Well I NEVER go over 5 miles an hour over - and the Police officers say thats “ok” becasue they never pull me over.”
And so what happens is - we start thinking “were not really speeding” “were not really breaking the law”
and we think that becasue the enforcement of the law doesn’t care all that much that we are breaking it.
AND when we do get pulled over for 5 miles an hour over - We can get really indignant -
Officer “I have driven this road Hundreds of Times, I have passed you Hundreds of times and you NEVER have pulled me over for 5 miles over,
OFFICER: Well sir 5 miles over is still speeding!
and then if were really angry - We will point to the other drivers who are going much faster than 5 miles over and we will say “But what about them?”
You see we really just don’t like authority at all.
And that’s really JUST in how we drive.
IT really gets personal when we are confronted by authority in how we believe.
and we really get upset sometime when we are confronted in how we behave in our personal non-public life.
A lot of times our response to conversations in those areas can really contain the response “Who do you think you are?”
TENSION
Here is where it get real real challenging for all of us.
Whether we are followers of Christ or just curious about all this Jesus stuff.
in many ways what has happened to us in our modern attempts to “make disciples”
We have gotten people to hear some good news that Jesus died for our sins and if we receive him, we will receive his forgiveness, secure our seat in heaven and we will be in the club.
and then we have them say or repeat with us the sinners prayer and after they say it we proclaim to the “congratulations you made it, you just became a Christian!”
There are a couple of problems with that!
1st is - the model of saying a “sinner prayer” as the initiation, as the first steps, into a life of following Jesus
i.e. being a Christian
Is not where modeled for us ANYWHERE in the Bible - Here is the crazy part - It not even Implied in the scriptures -
Should that not bother us?
It certainly bothers me!
2nd problem - Loved ones - is that Jesus being your savior , saving you from God’s wrath and forgiving you is only a half truth.
That is only a half gospel.
That is certainly GOOD NEWS.
But the other half of the good news is that Jesus must be master.
Jesus must also be the one in charge.
Repentance - is turning our life over to Jesus being in Charge- It is THE life style for those who claim Christ.
You see loved ones we must Receive Christ - For the Bible says “for those that receive Him. HE gave them the right to become Children of God.
However, we must receive Him in the fullness of who the scripture tells us he IS. Both in the Old testament and in the New
He is both Savior and He is also Lord or Master.
and as Master - we must experience Him in our very lives as the Only God who has all Authority!
and there are few is any other passages of Scripture that will declare Jesus as the ONLY God with Authority in every ones life than what we will unpack this morning.
BACKGROUND
Jesus has just healed a weak man at the pool of Bethesda
When he healed the weak-man at the pool of Bethesda by giving Him Strength.
He told the man to Pick up His bed that he had been laying on for 38 years or so and walk.
The problem was this was on the Sabbath - So what happens the Jews Confront the man about carrying His bed on the sabbath -
The man is like “I don’t know All i know is I have been made stronger”
They all find out is was Jesus and the Jews are now “Oppressing and harassing Jesus -
Jesus responds to this Harassment by the Jewish people with a statement that claims He is equal to God.
And our text this morning begins with the Jewish Response to Jesus making that Claim.
UNPACKING
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.
So the Jews are mad a Jesus for telling a man to violate the rules of the sabbath - The don’t care about the mans healing -
They begin to oppress Jesus,
Jesus claims that He and God are equal.
The Jewish people Now begin to look for reasons to Kill Jesus - Notice the language of verses 16 compared to 18 if you have your bibles open
Persecuting Jesus to Killing Him.
Watch what Jesus does and listen to what Jesus says -
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.
Jesus Steps into His claim of being equal with God.
In fact He amps it up
He begins 19 with two words “Truly Truly”
When Jesus says “Truly Truly” here is what that means.
It means “Pay attention” what I am about to say is not only true. it is a vital truth that you need to know!
Jesus then begins to unpack The specific details involved in Him and the Father being equal
so that the people He is talking to can grasp the fullness of what Jesus has said before when He said “My father is working and I am Working”.-
and He lays Down the Foundation and then begins to Build.
That Foundation - here in VSS19 when He says “
John 5:19 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.”
Then in Verse 20 He explains Why this is the case.
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.
VVS21
in Verse 21 Jesus then begins a list of that the Son is doing becasue the father can do them and He has given the Son Authority to do them.
Watch - Listen - So important to grab onto -
1st Thing - LIFE
For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will.
Not only Physical Life
as Jesus has and will certainly can Raise some people from the dead -
But also Spiritual Life.
The Eternal Spiritual Life that one day will manifest into an eternal Physical one when the dead in Christ will rise and meet Him in the air
Jesus is given the Authority to give LIFE
2nd Thing - JUDGEMENT
For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son,
Scary to think that it is not God the Father that judges the souls of men and women.
Rather it is pretty scary that it is Jesus - The manefest Love of God is the one who judges.
3rd Thing - to Receive HONOR
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.
VSS 24
He uses the words “Truly Truly” which again Jesus is saying “Not only is what I am about to say IS the truth - It is critical that you hear this.
The Jesus communicated the 4th thing that the Father gives Him Authority to do.
and that is to lay down the rules of eternity! The Truth of consequences -
the reality of denying the Truth.
Watch and listen to what Jesus says
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.
Who ever - The invitation is wide open
Hears My words - in this context The words that Jesus has just spoken to these Jewish people that have been oppressing and opposing Jesus work.
That He has Authority to Give Life - To Judge - To be honored as God - and to lay down the rules of eternity.
If you hear these words and Believe - Trust - in the father who is the one who sent Jesus -
The promise is “Eternal life”
The Safety is Away from Judgement!
VSS25
Jesus talks about the future and how much authority over life the father has given the Son -
And He begins with Truly Truly again!
“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.
Notice it does not say “the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and Rise -
Jesus is not referring to physically dead people -
Now clearly God can certainly raise the physically dead?
YES!
BUT - Here is what Jesus is talking about - He is talking about the workings of the Spirit in granting faith,
people hearing the call of Jesus -
Dead in their trespasses and sin Just like all of us once were and some of us still are.
They hear the call, the voice of Jesus - Repent, Receive me as Lord and Savior and you shall be saved.
VSS 26
Jesus then returns to unwrapping the Authority of How this is even possible. -
Jesus has Life in Himself just like The Father has in Himself - Again another declaration by Jesus that He and the Farther are equal.
For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.
VVS27
Then in VSS 27 Jesus then tell them and us for that AGAIN that he has the power of Judgement and he gives us a glimpse as to what that will look like sometime in the future -
Part of what Jesus is talking about is he is making reference to event that will happen when He comes again to Judge as God the father has given Him Authority to do
Again it should be for everyone, a pretty intimidating thought, that Jesus, the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world - Will also be the lion of Judah who will judge and be the one who cases into Hell.
Watch and listen to what Jesus says
And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.
VSS30
Jesus is then going for the third time Tie himself into the acts and will of the father- Saying
“I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.
NOW - what we have unpacked is Jesus is saying some pretty bold things -
These Jewish people would have look at him and many of them probably thought He was Crazy
they May have even said things Like -
“ Who do you think you are?
You are just a guy from Nazareth who can do some fancy magic tricks and what you are really doing is causing people to break the law of the sabbath, Who cares if your healing them or not” -
You claim equality with YHWH - You claim to have the Authority to give life - You claim to have the Authority to Judge-
You claim you have the Authority to receive Honor.
And then you threaten us that if we don't honor you as you claim to have authority to require then you say that were not honoring the father and we are dead to HIM?
Then you you claim once again that you have this Authority - An authority that really only God has and your speak that you are going to raise the dead that are in the tombs simply by speaking to them and you say that you will be the one to them either to eternal life or ?
I mean really who do you think you are anyway?
These Jewish people must have been thinking or saying these things and Jesus must have known it becasue Jesus Continues to Speak!
Watch and Listen to what He says -
And this is so very important to us -
becasue back then - Of you made a Claim in a court of Law, or in the court of public opinion -
Either accusing someone of some thing or Denying something some one said against you -
In order for the court of public opinion to consider your claim, no mater what it was - in order for the court to consider it TRUTH - you had to produce witnesses.
You couldn't Just stand on “Because I said So”
So what does Jesus Do.
Jesus produces 4 witnesses that validate all the claims He just made about Him self -
and He brings these 4 witnesses forward to this court of public opinion.
1st witness up.
VVS 31-35
John the Baptist
If I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not true. There is another who bears witness about me, and I know that the testimony that he bears about me is true. You sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. Not that the testimony that I receive is from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved. He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light.
Here is what Jesus is saying -
VVS31-32
“If I am the only one saying these things about my self then it is not true and you should ignore me.”
But Jesus replies “There is another who bear witness about me, and I know what John the Baptist said is true -
VS33 -
Jesus says “You know its true becasue you went to hIm and asked him and He spoke the truth.
Then watch What Jesus says
VSS34
I don’t bring these witnesses in for my own sake but for your so that you will be saved.
2nd Witness - Jesus works
But the testimony that I have is greater than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me.
at this point when, Jesus said this, He was speaking about the works He had already done and the works he was going to do.
Mainly the would He would finish on the Cross.
3rd witness - God the Father
And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen, and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent.
When Jesus says “you do not have His word abiding in you”
Remember He is speaking to Jewish people -
They would had most of the old testament memorized.
Back then that is what Jewish people did growing up.
Jesus said -
The words of the father that testify about me don’t not remain in you.
Your memorization growing up was in vain.
VSS39-40
Last witness - The LAW.
A witness all of the people hearing this would have validated.
And he saves the more reliant witness to them for last.
Watch what he says -
You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.
The Old testament bear witness about me - You search for life in them - They cant give it to you I can and yet you refuse to come to me.
At this point you might be thinking Pastor - If all this witness and all this testimony is in the old testament and they had the old testament memorized when they were children - Why didn’t it stick?
ANSWER - They hated Authority - Especially the Authority that says “What you believe is not correct” - “You’re believing your trusting the wrong thing.”
VSS 41-44
Jesus says - This is how stubborn you are - This is how much you do not like Authority - Living breathing Authority
42 Your missing the Love for God and the giving of the love of God to others - This is what the Love of God with in you means.
You do not love God.
43 - Here is how I know that -
I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him.
44 - Here is a question for you to think about so you can think about it.
How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?
Then watch what Jesus says -
VSS45
ya know when the father and I talk about his - I wont have to say a word about - Because Moses will -
Moses, the one who wrote about me and the one you put your hopes in because He brought you the Law about the Sabbath -
VSS46
Jesus then unpacks the importance of reading, understanding and interpreting the Bible.
Its all about Him - Its not about us — Its for us - But the Bible, From Gen to revelation - Its all about Him.
Read it any other way and you get in trouble - Just like the Jewish people did.
Jesus draws this same conclusion -
But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”
THE GOSPEL CONNECTION
This is the Gospel - Jesus is the Son of God
Jesus is the God in the Flesh -
He has Authority to give life, eternal life.
He Has Authority to judge
He has Authority to be and require Honor and worship.
He will do the Judging by the very Authority he has.
and Every thing bears witness to Him.
Others like John the Baptist.
His works - His miracles which includes speaking to spiritually dead people and they becoming alive to God.
The Father in heaven is a witness to his having this authority as Jesus is the only world religious figure who claims to be, was prophesied to be and is validated to be God in the Fleash -
Uniquely - God came to us. In all other world belief systems We have to figure our way to get to God.
Lastly - History, the history of God people, the Old Testament of the Bible is witness that Jesus is the one true God with all authority
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