The God Man.
The Endless Journey - John • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Reading:
9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;
Introduction:
John's gospel started with the facts about who Jesus would be as the messiah when He arrived.
He stated:
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The connection to the messiah’s eternality and existence outside the constrains of time.
His creative power over everything.
Remember the word “Universe” = Single Spoken!
The God who’s words are so powerful to create; created!
His words are power!
In Revelation 19 when the rider on a white horse arrives who is called “Faithful and True who judges in righteousness” comes.
His army behind Him stands in awe for what happens next:
15 From His mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.
His mouth/words strikes down the nations!
The World was prepared for His arrival through the testimony and preaching of John.
When He was asked about what authority he has to speak, he answered with truthful words:
23 He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”
The voice in the wilderness proclaimed the truth and testified:
29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
Messiah comes, and calls some to follow Him.
The disciples, just like us, need something to show us that what we are choosing is the correct decision and direction to head.
The disciples were shown Jesus’ power and authority when He turned water to wine.
The Lord secured their trust by revealing His authority and power.
Jesus sealed the truth for all mankind in His conversation with Nicodemus.
God came because He loves all and offers grace through His sacrifice and any who believe in Jesus, their eternity is secure!
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.
This gift was extended to a people that others believed were unworthy of God.
The woman of Samaria who met Jesus at the well revealed this truth.
Jesus purposed to visit Samaria and capitalized on the meeting at the well.
Belief in Jesus came to a people who were deemed unworthy by even His disciples, and they received it with joy!
The disciples witnessed Jesus’ authority over sickness and healed an officials son from a great distance.
Thus revealing that the moment when Jesus promised the man that his son would live, he did!
Last week we heard of Jesus’ power over muscles and the body.
All the while there is an underlying current, like a rip-tide.
The religious chiefs progressive attitude against Jesus.
Especially considering His deifying attitude against the traditions and authority of the Sanhedrin.
Then the cherry on top:
Jesus claims to be God and that He is equal with God!
God Forbid, they say!
I don’t think they read the first 4 chapters of John.
Transition:
The messiah was to be God in the flesh.
14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel.
The name Immanuel: God with us!
God Himself took on flesh.
Jesus’ life revealed His worthiness to be the lamb who took away the sins of the world; but what people couldn’t reconcile, and many still struggle to, is the fact that Jesus is God in the flesh.
He shifted the hearts and minds at the pools of Bethesda, not by the healing of a lame man; because of His authority on the sabbath!
For four chapters, John has been building a case.
Now Jesus walks into the courtroom and makes the argument Himself."
The Claim! (17-18)
The Claim! (17-18)
17 But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.”
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.
John Phillips says that Jesus’ response to them here in defense was:
“His behavior hadn’t desecrated the Sabbath. Rather, they had distorted the Sabbath. It was their beliefs, not His behavior, that were at fault.” -John Phillips.
So Jesus utilizes the Father as a witness to His claim!
He was most offensive by claiming His actions were equal to God’s.
Maybe you don’t know this but the Sabbath was first introduced back in Genesis 2:1-3
1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
2 And on the seventh day God finished His work that He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work that He had done.
3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all His work that He had done in creation.
God was satisfied with His creation, then rested from creating!
It wasn’t long, the day of rest was broken. The moment sin came into His creation and perverted it!
The rest that God took was disturbed and then He began a new work; the redemptive one!
Until the day God sets right all that is wrong, His redemptive work will take place.
Part of that redemptive work is through Jesus.
The healing of the lame man at the pool was part of God’s redemptive work, thus God was working on the Sabbath.
Thus implying that Jesus must work on the Sabbath because He is God and is working out the redemption of mankind!
The Father testifies of Jesus’ work on the Sabbath, since He is God!
The Jews rejected Jesus as Immanuel (God with us) and focused on His flesh lowering Him to being equal with them.
Jesus’ claim wasn’t misunderstood as some may say.
Did you know there are people who say: “Jesus never claimed to be God”.
This passage and many others in John record Jesus' claims about Himself, and also records those who were present at those claims and vehemently disagree.
Here are some simple examples:
He receives worship from Thomas
He forgives sins
He claims equality with God
He reveals His power:
Omniscient - All Knowing
Omnipotent - All Powerful
Omnipresent - Everywhere at once
Jesus proves, and shows that He is God in every way and people are mad!
So those who claim that Jesus never claimed to be God, are twisting scripture and scenes recorded in the bible to fit their stance.
Scripture consistently points to and supports the fact that Jesus is God!
Connection:
Sometimes we don’t like to hear this either.
Why not?
Because if Jesus is God, we are not the god of our own universe.
What I decide for me is what is best
What I want and desire is of no consequence
When I deem something wrong or right that is the final word of it!
When someone else is in charge and they tell us that the only way to heaven is by admitting they are God and not us, we could struggle against that truth.
When Jesus tells us that by humbling ourselves before Him and asking forgiveness for our wrongs,
We might attempt to justify ourselves and say that we are good enough!
We earned it!
The love that Jesus has shows us is the truth!
Illustration:
Growing up I would watch the show cops once in a while. (explain the show)
People would give excuses for what they did and argue with the police about the legality in an attempt to justify what they did.
It didn’t matter what they said, they still violated the law.
Whether they believed it or not they were going to jail or getting a ticket.
Connection:
We might not always be comfortable with what Jesus says; but that doesn’t change the truth!
Examples of difficult truth: Matthew 5:44
44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.”
It isn’t easy to humble ourselves and do what these passages ask.
The truth is: when your angry at someone, your giving control to them over you.
They usually don’t even know that your mad or upset; but here they are at the moment you hear their voice, or their name your demeanor changes.
They are in control.
Forgiveness removes their control, so praying for them is heading in the right direction.
The truth that Jesus offers is life changing and fixed no matter how we feel!
CTA: This week, identify one area of your life where you've been acting as the authority, yield it to Jesus.
Tell Him in that moment: 'You are Lord here, not me.
Transition:
Jesus’ claim of equality with God is attested to by the Father; Jesus Has:
The Support (19-29)
The Support (19-29)
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.
Jesus says He is equal with God in purpose.
The equality of the Son to the Father is found in the purpose of the Son doing what the Father does.
Why?
Growing up we learn from the examples that are around us the most.
Illustration:
How many of us in our teenage years thought: when I get older I will never be like my parents.
At what point have you hear a phrase come from your mouth something that you said you wouldn’t say?
This isn’t to say that if you grew up in a abusive home (Expound a bit more) that you have to be like that, God can change everything which breaks the chain, freeing you to be who God called you to be!
The Son does what the Father does Jesus says.
He will redeem because that is the Father’s will!
Jesus is fulfilling the work of redemption for all.
Jesus explains that He is equal to God in His performance.
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.
Jesus exemplifies this fact throughout His public interactions.
Jesus is equal with God in that He has power over life and death.
21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom He will.
Jesus already showed power over a sickness to death.
Lazarus was dead 3 days.
That is about 3 days beyond any medical help or consideration for being helpful at all, yet Lazarus
The power over your own life would be even more astounding and worthy of being called God!
Which He said He would do.
18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”
Thankfully He did, sealing the victory over the grave and death for us!
Jesus proclaims that all Judgment is His to judge.
22 For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son,
Jesus will be the last say to each and every person’s life!
Thankfully He judges righteously!
This is a fact that we might not appreciate enough.
Illustration:
There are judges in our country that don’t judge righteously.
We can find all throughout the nation lawsuits that are drawn out just to stagnate the process; (one former presidential candidate told us this as the “power of her pen” - to bleed the individual of any finances they have.
We can find frivolous lawsuits just to get an lot of money from a company because they are big.
Take a drive through Detroit and I bet you will see lawyers advertisements for car accidents and “getting what you deserve”.
Those advertisements wouldn’t be there unless there is a system that supports ambulance chasing!
If all judges judged righteously they could throw those suits out and remove the incentive for those kind of cases.
Jesus will always judge righteously and a 100% correct ruling every time!
His Judgment is true and perfect just like it was on the Cross.
Connection:
Jesus dying on the cross was a judgment!
A judgment against sin!
This judgment impacts every believer and un-believers in this way:
When the believer dies they are going to be given rewards when they see Jesus.
Why? How is that possible?
He already judged their sin at the cross and their judgment was dealt with.
An unbeliever has to go to Jesus after death in what Revelation calls the Great White Throne Judgment and they will have their sin judged there, no rewards just the judgment for eternity!
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.
Believers’ eternity is secure; but un-believers should be concerned for that day.
CTA: Because Jesus judges righteously and your sin was already judged at the cross, you can live free from fear.
If you've been carrying guilt that's already been paid for, write it down, and leave it at the cross — your judgment is finished.
Transition:
Let’s re-focus back to the authority of Jesus:
Jesus is speaking to everyone.
Jesus’ equality with God is supported by:
The Proof (30-47)
The Proof (30-47)
Jesus addresses the questions that people probably thought:
31 If I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not true.
No one can just say something and it be received as true, there needs to be someone or something that agrees with their claim.
God covered this by providing a testimony to Jesus’ claims.
32 There is another who bears witness about me, and I know that the testimony that he bears about me is true.
33 You sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth.
John’s ministry isn’t self-serving, it is Savior serving.
Verses 37-38 reveals their lack of faith is because they are self-serving.
He goes a little further into why they are like that: they are prideful!
39 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me,
40 yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.
Jesus expresses the truth found in history, scripture, and also through the crazy man from the wilderness!
The scriptures attest to Jesus in every way.
The Old Testament points to the need of Jesus.
The New Testament lifts up the need being met in Jesus.
We might miss it sometimes.
It’s all about Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith!
46 For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me.
47 But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”
Jesus summarizes the point for them:
44 How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?
CTA: The Scriptures bear witness to Jesus.
This week, commit to one intentional act of pointing someone else to that testimony — a text, a conversation, or an invitation.
You are a living witness like John was.
Conclusion:
For five chapters, John has been stacking the evidence
the eternal Word,
the Lamb who takes away sin,
the water turned to wine,
the healing at a distance,
the pool of Bethesda.
Here in John 5, Jesus steps forward and says plainly:
the Father and I are one.
The Sabbath rests in me.
The resurrection is mine to give.
The judgment is mine to execute.
The Jews understood exactly what He said.
They just refused to receive it, not because the evidence was weak.
They refused because receiving it meant surrendering the one thing they loved most:
Authority of their own lives.
We may all be tempted to fall into this same belief.
Will we, like the Pharisees, search the Scriptures and refuse to come — or will we come and find in Him the life we were made for?
-Pray!
