John 5:41-47

John 5:41–47 “41 I do not receive glory from people. 42 But I know that you do not have the love of God within you. 43 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 How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? 45 Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. 46 For if you believed 6Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. 47 But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?””

Introduction:

Excessive talking: How can you expect not to get that remark if you can’t keep your mouth shut?

Bad grades: How can you expect to get good grades if you don’t study and do the work?

These would be getting to the heart of the matter by answering the why question to the problem.

Jesus has healed a man by the pool called Bethesda. The Jewish religious leads hated him for doing it on the Sabbath day, and hated him even more when he contributed his healing to be the Son of God, calling God his own Father.

And so for the remainder of this chapter Jesus has taught on how the Son of God has authority to judge and the save.

And he has pointed to witnesses that he indeed is the Son of God, the Father being the essential witness but these other ones are for the sake of human salvation:

John the Baptist, Jesus’ works, and the word of the Father in the Scriptures

But Jesus slowly put the religious leaders on the defense, by attacking their unbelief.

And now, to finish this section Jesus asks this question twice answering the why to their unbelief:

John 5:44 “44 How can you believe... John 5:47 “47 ... how will you believe my words?””

This morning we will be answering the question, why do people not believe if it is a truth from heaven itself that Jesus is the Son of God, sent to judge and save?

Jesus answers the why question with a contrast between himself and the pharisees:

John 5:41 “41 I do not receive glory from people.”

John 5:44 “44 How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?”

People don’t believe because they seek glory from another, and not the glory that comes from God only.

1.Glory: High honor...approval

Jesus says it is impossible to believe when you seek the honor or approval of man and not God.

2. When Jesus says he does not receive glory from people, he means the essential glory he pursues is the Father’s.

Just like when he said he does not receive man’s witness....he receives both witness and glory from man but his essential witness and honor comes from the Father.

Also, it is okay to receive glory or honor from others...but it has to be in light of your pursuit of seeking the honor of God...not despite it.

Like receiving a reward for hard work etc.

3. And so part of what Jesus is stating here is that he is not defending himself as the Son of God as if he is in need of their witness or honor for it to be true.

And the main thing he is doing is making a contrast between himself and those who did not believe him to show why and how they do not believe.

They desired man’s honor and glory above seeking the glory that comes from the Father.

Now you might think that Jesus would go from verse 41:

John 5:41 “41 I do not receive glory from people.”

And say automatically “but you do receive glory from people which is why you don’t believe”

And as we already saw, he will do that in a couple verses...but the first contrast he makes is this:

John 5:41 “41 I do not receive glory from people.”

John 5:42 “42 But I know that you do not have the love of God within you.”

A good question to ask is what does glory and love have to do with each other in this context?

And the answer is, we will not pursue the glory of the Father above the glory of man unless we have the love of God within our very souls.

Jesus was looking at a bunch of religious leaders that did not believe in him, and wanted to kill him because they were more concerned with the honor that comes from man because they did not have the love of God within them.

This is an important essential point to make: we are either driven by the love for self, or the love of God.

Seeking man’s honor is driven by self love...seeking God’s honor above all else is only done properly as a result of having his love inside of you.

If you are driven by sheer duty and will power to pursue God’s glory it will be impossible because it will be driven by love for self instead of love for God.

(Boot camp, Angelo saying he wish he could do the moral stuff I do, but it is not driven by sheer will power but God’s love within)

Love is a powerful thing: which is why there are countless songs about it and most movies, even heavy action ones typically have a love story in it.

Love makes people do weird things....even in old age

God has created us to be motivated and enjoy love...essentially his love...which enables us to do the most important essential task of seeking his glory.

In order to believe, you must seek God’s glory above all else.

In order to seek God’s glory above all else, you must have the love of God in your soul.

In order to have God’s love in you you must believe:

John 3:16 “16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Belief in the gospel is central.

And a belief that is motivated and sustained by God’s love for sinners in Christ.

Is this the sort of belief that you have?

Next Jesus gives a clear example that they seek each other’s glory and are not driven by God’s love which explains their disbelief:

John 5:43 “43 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.”

Jesus came in the glory of the Father, and they hate him for it.

But if someone comes in his own name, or in the glory of man, they will gladly receive (or believe) them.

The pharisees had a large network of teachers in Israel. But the religious leaders also had made a habit of killing people that came in the name of the Father.

Matthew 23:37 “37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!”

The proof of whether we have the love of God in our souls that drives a belief in the Son of God is if we gladly receive his teaching, or if we would rather surround ourselves with teachers that will not offend us.

A major test for a new believer is what will that person do when they hear truth that offends them? Will they repent, or be repulsed by it and find a different teaching that won’t offend?

Driven by the love of God do you pursue Jesus even at the expense of the teaching of Jesus that confronts your sin?

This is what it means to seek God’s honor in love to him, and not man’s honor in love of self.

And now, Jesus’ final statement is one of sure judgement that is to come for their failure to believe that he is the Son of God.

John 5:45 “45 Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope.”

Interesting how this conversation started as Jesus in the defense seat and the pharisees accusing.

And Jesus defends himself while then pulling the uno reverse card and now they are on the defense.

And he says I won’t accuse you.

Now Jesus has already said as the Son of God, he is the judge.

And he is saying here I won’t need much ammo to judge you, because the one that you have set your entire hope on, Moses, will be used against you.

Remember, Jesus has already alluded to Moses when he told them:

John 5:37 “37 And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen,”

(Exodus 33) Moses heard the voice of God, and saw his glory. And the pharisees sat in Moses’ chair with his authority and they used that as proof that they are right.

(Officers were sent to arrest Jesus but didn’t because of his powerful words):

John 7:45–48 “45 The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why did you not bring him?” 46 The officers answered, “No one ever spoke like this man!” 47 The Pharisees answered them, “Have you also been deceived? 48 Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him?”

Plus, there was a common tradition at this time that as Moses interceded for the people while he walked this earth, so he intercedes for them now in heaven.

And Jesus takes this security they had of Moses and says he will accuse you to the Father which will bring your judgement.

John 5:46 “46 For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me.”

Moses was driven by God’s love within, and sought God’s glory above man’s glory which is why he wrote of the Messiah to come.

Gill: in the books written by him, Christ is spoken of, as the seed of the woman, that should bruise the serpent's head; as the seed of Abraham, in whom all nations of the earth should be blessed; as the Shiloh, to whom the gathering of the people should be; and as that prophet, who should be like unto himself, to whom the people of Israel should hearken; and he wrote many things typically of Christ; and indeed, the whole Mosaic economy was typical of Christ, as the epistle to the Hebrews shows: and therefore disbelieving Christ, was disbelieving Moses; who therefore would be an accuser of them, and a witness against them.

And a heart that is driven by God’s love within, and God’s glory above man’s would read Moses’ writings and see Christ in them, and then have belief in Jesus as he stood before them in the flesh.

But since they were driven by man’s honor and a love for self, they could memorize Moses’ writings, and be confident sitting in his chair, and yet miss the entire point of Moses’ writings.

And so Jesus concludes:

John 5:47 “47 But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?””

Jesus makes a profound statement here by taking what they believed they did quite well, believe and implement Moses’ writings, and instead says they do not believe him since they do not believe Jesus to be the Son of God.

The point that Jesus is making here is that to desire man’s glory above God’s glory is a love problem.

Love from God and to God.

Conclusion:

Do you have a belief in Jesus that is driven by seeking God’s glory driven by God’s love?

Or do you disbelief Jesus driven by man’s glory driven by self love?

No greater indication of this is found in how you view and what you do with sin.

A person with true belief will battle sin both reactively and proactively

Reactively: When you become aware of sin you repent of it and find forgiveness and strength in Jesus alone.

Proactively: You will seek the different sins of your heart and want to bring them to God.

All of this will be done as you pursue God’s word as an expression of Jesus.

You will find teachers who are faithful to this word, and not teachers that will coddle your own desire.

Deuteronomy 13:3 “3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For the Lord your God is testing you, to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.”

2 Thessalonians 2:9–12 “9 The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, 10 and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, 12 in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”