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How to Be the Witnesses God Wants Us to Be
The Gospel of John
John 5:30-35
Sermon by Rick Crandall
Grayson Baptist Church - September 14, 2016
(Revised August 2, 2019)
BACKGROUND:
*Please open your Bibles to John 5. Before we read our Scripture, remember that that this chapter begins with one of the Lord's amazing healing miracles.
It happened in Jerusalem by the pool called Bethesda.
Jesus instantly healed a man who had not been able to walk for 38 years!
*Jesus performed this healing on the Sabbath Day, and that was not a crime against God's Law.
But it was a crime punishable by death under the man-made laws of the Jewish scribes and Pharisees.
*As soon as Jesus began to respond to their charge, He committed another crime punishable by death.
This new charge against the Lord was blasphemy, because when Jesus called God "My Father," He made Himself equal with God.
*We see these charges in vs. 15-18, where the Bible says:
15.
The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.
16.
For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath.
17.
But Jesus answered them, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.''
18. Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.
*Then in vs. 19-23, Jesus pleaded guilty to the charge of making Himself equal to God and rightly so, because Jesus IS the one and only eternal Son of God.
*Next in vs. 24-30, we saw three of the great spiritual miracles Jesus works in the life of every Christian.
[1] FIRST, JESUS GIVES US THE MIRACLE OF REGENERATION.
*That's the new spiritual birth we receive when we receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.
It's the new birth that gives us God's everlasting life.
And it comes by hearing and believing in God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ.
*So in vs. 24-26, Jesus said:
24.
"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.
25.
Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, 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 to have life in Himself."
[2] JESUS GIVES US THE MIRACLE OF REGENERATION.
HE ALSO GIVES US THE MIRACLE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS.
*True righteousness before God is a miracle from God! We must see this miracle in vs. 28-30, where Jesus said:
28.
"Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice
29. and come forth those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.
30.
I can of Myself do nothing.
As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me."
*If we take verse 29 out of context, it seems as if good works can get you to Heaven, but that is surely not the case.
Christians: We are righteous in God's eyes, but it never comes from our own goodness.
God considers us to be righteous, because our sins are covered by the blood of the Lamb of God who died on the cross for us.
*Paul made it this truth very clear in Romans 4:1-8, where he wrote these words:
1.
What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh?
2. For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something of which to boast, but not before God.
3.
For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.''
4. Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.
5.
But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness,
6. just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works:
7. "Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered;
8. blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin.''
*Christians: God considers us to be good, because our sins are covered by the Lord's sacrificial blood.
That’s imputed righteousness.
Jesus’ goodness is put in our account, and we are saved by His grace!
God also considers us to be righteous, because our lives have been changed.
This is what we sometimes call imparted righteousness.
God has given a new nature to us, and He is still working in us to desire and do His good pleasure.
*This is all truly a spiritual miracle!
So we are never saved by our good works.
We are saved for the good works that God wants us to do.
That's why Ephesians 2:8-10 says this to all Christians:
8.
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
9. not of works, lest anyone should boast.
10.
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
[3] JESUS GIVES US THE MIRACLE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS.
AND HE WILL ALSO GIVE US THE MIRACLE OF THE RESURRECTION OF LIFE.
*We saw this truth in vs. 25-30, where Jesus said:
25. "Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, 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 to have life in Himself,
27. and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man.
28.
Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice
29. and come forth; those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.
30.
I can of Myself do nothing.
As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me."
*Paul talked about the miracle of our resurrection in a several places.
For example, in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 Paul said:
13. . .
I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.
14.
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.
15.
For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.
16.
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God.
And the dead in Christ will rise first.
17.
Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.
And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
*Regeneration -- being born again, righteousness, and the resurrection of life forever with the Lord: All three of these spiritual miracles belongs to us, IF we belong to Jesus Christ!
*And you may think, "Well, I've never seen a real miracle."
But if you have received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, then every time you look in the mirror, you are looking at three miracles that are infinitely greater than the miracle of walking.
And the man who was healed 2,000 years ago would surely tell you that today.
*Christians, we’ve got something to shout about!
We’ve got something to tell the world!
And that’s what the Lord wants us to do.
*In tonight's Scripture, Jesus continued His defense against the unbelieving Jews.
And He began to tell them about four sure witnesses for our Lord.
One of these witnesses was John the Baptist, and John is our example tonight, because he shows us how to be the witnesses God wants us to be.
Please think about that as we read vs. 30-35.
MESSAGE:
*How can we be the witnesses God wants us to be?
1. FIRST: WE HAVE TO TRUST IN THE STRENGTH OF OUR SAVIOR.
*In vs. 30, Jesus said this to His accusers: "I can of Myself do nothing.
As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me."
*Jesus began by saying, "I can of Myself do nothing."
It sounds like He was saying, "I can't do anything without My Father."
On the surface, this Scripture seems to be saying the kind of thing we say sometimes, like: "I can't see anything without my glasses," or "I can't go anywhere without gas in my car."
*But that's not at all what Jesus was saying here.
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