Defending Jesus
Notes
Transcript
Witnessing the Son of God
Witnessing the Son of God
How reliable are eye witnesses? What percentage is accurate?
How many of us have ever witnessed something happening.... a car crash… crime…etc?
Eyewitnesses statements often play a vital role in securing criminal convictions – police surveys show that eyewitness testimony is the main form of evidence in more than 20% of cases. But that doesn’t mean the evidence is always reliable.
In fact research shows that 75% of false convictions are caused by a inaccurate eyewitness statement.
A team of investigative psychologists from the University of Huddersfield has been undertaking a series of experiments on more than 600 participants to simulate the event of witnessing a crime.
During the research, groups of participants were shown actual footage of a bar fight taking place.
In some of the participant groups the researchers planted actors who were instructed to suggest the wrong man had started the violence. Participants were then interviewed and asked to identify the person who had started the fight.
The results found that eyewitnesses were susceptible to accepting false information from other witnesses and would then include the “evidence” in their own statements. One cause of this suggestibility was due to participants doubting their own judgement after being exposed to the contradicting information. But researchers also found that eyewitnesses had genuinely convinced themselves they too had witnessed this false information.
In the group without any actors, 32% of participants gave incorrect statements – which was put down to factors such as poor eyesight and memory. But when actors were planted in the group, 52% of the “real” participants gave an incorrect statement. And worryingly, when more than two actors were planted in a group, almost 80% of the participants ended up giving the same incorrect statement and identifying an innocent man as the culprit.
That makes you wonder.... how reliable is eye witness testimony.... according to this study… I wouldn’t want to bet my life on it....
Today as we look at the 5th chapter of the Gospel of John, we are going to be presented with several eye witnesses that are accurate and reliable.... witnesses that have testimonies that we can with 100% confidence trust…as we listen to their witness of Jesus.
Introduction:
Remember John’s purpose for writing: … that all may believe!
As we come to chapter 5 of John’s Gospel, let’s remind ourselves of what is goin on and to whom Jesu sis speaking.
Jesus is in Jerusalem…. He has healed on the Sabbath and has communicated that He is equal with the Father… Jesus has demonstrated that He has the power to heal and has shared with those listening that He has authority to give life…. and the authority to judge…
With every word spoken you can almost feel the tension in the hearts of the Jewish leaders as their desire to see Jesus killed grew to a boil….
As the religious leaders of the day criticize Jesus… Jesus didn’t defend himself by explaining that he didn’t break any biblical regulations. The only thing that Jesus had done was reveal the inadequacies of the man-made traditions that the rabbi’s of that day were leading the people to follow.
No, instead of engaging in petty arguments, Jesus asserts His equality with the Father (vs. 17). Shocked by what the Jews considered blasphemy… Jesus claiming to be God… the Jews felt justified in increasing their efforts to have Jesus killed (vs. 18). Jesus responds by again claiming equality with God by doing the works that only God can do, giving life as only God can, receiving honor that only God is to receive and equally executing final judgment as only God can (19-29).
It almost seems like we are being shown one side of a court room scene where the defense is given an opportunity to present the merit of their argument by calling key witnesses to the stand. The Jury is tasked with answering 2 question:
2 questions:
- How can we know God? (How has God reveled Himself?) — We can know God through Jesus. God has revealed Himself to us through Jesus Christ! (This was answered in verses 1-29)
Now, the jury… and all of us must wrestle with answering the question of…
- How can we trust what God has revealed? How can it be verified? If Jesus truly is the way that we can know God.... then is Jesus worthy of our belief?
As we work through the Gospel of John, the reader is time and time again confronted with giving an answer to questions like:
We will be given an opportunity to respond to this question after we have reviewed the evidence that Jesus will present in verses 30-47.
Can Jesus be trusted? Is Jesus really who He claims to be??? and… ultimately, is Jesus worthy of your belief?
“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. 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. 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. 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. 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. I do not receive glory from people. But I know that you do not have the love of God within you. 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. How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? 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. For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”
“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. 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. 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. 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. 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. I do not receive glory from people. But I know that you do not have the love of God within you. 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. How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? 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. For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”
As you read through the Gospel of John, John begs his audience to come to the place where they can respond to this question (Is Jesus worthy of your belief?) with a heartfelt “YES!”
In our text today, Jesus does not attempt to convince us with his own words and testimony but calls on the witness of others to testify to the truths of who He truly is.
Let’s look at together beginning in verse 30 as Jesus points us to the Witness of Another.
Witness of Another (30-32 & 37-38)
“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. 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.
As we read a moment ago, we saw that verse 30 begins by summarizing Jesus’ claims to be equal with the Father. Jesus corrects the religions leaders accusation that Jesus is independently acting against God.... by sharing with them that He actually doesn’t do anything of his own initiative. All that Jesus did was in response to the Will of the Father and according to the plan of redemption that the Godhead had made in eternity past.
By accusing Jesus of wrong.... the Jewish leaders are actually accusing God the Father of wrong doing.
Jesus continues the idea of the Son’s activity as a judge, from verses 27-29 here in verse 30 when He says, “As I hear, I judge, and my judgement is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me”.
Since Jesus always acts in perfect harmony with the will of the Father who sent Him, His judgment is always just… and it will be justly executed on those who reject and oppose Him.
In verse 31, Jesus goes on to say that “If I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not true.”
Jesus is not condemning His own testimony as unreliable… but His point is that His Jewish opponents are claiming that his own self-testimony is not enough…
This might be based on the requirement in the law to have 2-3 witnesses…. or your testimony is not valid … based on & 19:15.
Requirement in the law to have 2-3 witnesses…. or your testimony is not valid … based on & 19:15
The issue was not that Jesus’ testimony was true… , but whether His opponents (jewish leaders) would accept His testimony and believe.
So, Jesus calls His first witness. Look at verse 32…
“If I alone bear witness about myself, my testinoy si not tru
“There is another who bears witness about me, and I know that the testimony that that He bears about me is true.”
The phrase “bare witness” is used several times in our passage today (31, 32, ...)… as well as throughout the gospel of John (1:7, etc...)… it gives the idea of a courtroom scene… building an argument for Christ...
Who is this “other” witness that Jesus speaks of in verse 32? Some say that it refers to John the Baptizer since Jesus will refer to him in verse 33.
But, an issue with that conclusion is that in verse 32 Jesus speaks of “another witness” in present tense (present, active, continuous)… then when he introduces John the Baptizer in verse 33, Jesus refers to John in the past tense.
No, it seems as if Jesus is pointing us to someone who can bear witness to the truth of Jesus’ claims at all times without end.
I would suggest that this “other witness” Jesus refers to in verse 32 is none other than God the Father. This concept that the Father bears witness about the Son is supported by what Jesus says in verse 37-38.
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.
As Jesus presents 3 additional witnesses we are to understand that God the Father is the One who primarily testifies and confirms who Jesus is. As we read the text, we are to see the other witnesses as expressions of God’s testimony about Jesus. John the Baptizer, the miracles Jesus did and the OT Scriptures all proclaim the message of Christ because that is the message that God the Father intended for them to proclaim.
Each witness that Jesus will call to the stand has value because each witness is merely giving the testimony of God. And… according to Jesus’ words here in verse 38, if someone refuses to believe in Jesus… they are in that same moment also rejecting God the Father in their unbelief.
God the Father has not only sent God the Son, through whom He may be known.... He has, in addition and at the same time, provided supplemental witnesses so that people know that God has spoken in Christ and so that people can have no excuse for neglecting to put their trust in Him. (Boice)
John 5:30-
“it seems wise to view the “other witness” as God the Father and to find the witness of the Father expressed in the testimony of John, in the miracles, and in Scripture”
“The point of this is simply that the value of such testimony is to be traced precisely to the fact that it is the testimony of God. In other words, God the Father has not only sent God the Son, through whom he may be known. He has, in addition and at the same time, provided other supplemental witnesses so that people may both know that he has spoken in Christ and have no excuse for neglecting to put their trust in him.” (Boice)
Witness of God the Father (37-38)
Based on the fact that God the Father has sent Jesus the Son with power and authority, and has made Himself known to us through Christ…. is Jesus, the Son of God, worthy of our belief?
Jesus does not have to defend Himself or testify on His own behalf… God the Father will do that. Next, Jesus points our attention to the witness of John the baptizer.
2. Witness of John (33-35)
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.
John is highlighted here not simply because he was a good witness… telling people about Jesus. He is a particular type of witness.... a prophet. John embraced his prophetic role.... He constantly denied his own significance… and was focused on pointing people away from himself and to Christ.
Why is John’s witness of Christ significant? Why is it important?
The prophetic nature of John’s ministry is indicated by the statements made about John that he did not speak from his own ideas or by his own will… but rather as one who had been sent by God. We can see this concept several places in the Gospel of John.
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
Later the same concept comes out of the mouth of John when he says
You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’
What John says in 3:28 is actually the word of God given by the Old Testament prophet Malachi.
“Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.
So, John was sent by God… proclaiming the message from God.... and it was all for the purpose of pointing people to and preparing people for Jesus.
Look at verse 35. We are told that John “was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light.”
A lamp is not something that shines because of its own strength… like the sun. A lamp has to be powered from some kind of outside source (batteries, gas, oil, solar power…) A lamp is not the light. A lamp merely provides a platform and vehicle for the light.
John is not the light. Only Jesus is the light. Nevertheless, John is important because he has been used by God to reflect and point people to the light.
John’s burning inner zeal made him a shining light in a dark world (Mac).... pointing people to Jesus. Bearing witness to Jesus.
Witness of John
…
As Jesus finishes presenting the prophetic ministry of John the Baptizer on the witness stand… highlighting the truth that John the Baptizer lived in order to verify the truth that Jesus is God… that was John’s message….at that moment in the end of verse 35 we can almost imagine Jesus turning to those in the Jury/ the peanut gallery… to all those who are watching and listening…. and asks this question….
Was John right? Is Jesus God?
By demanding an answer to this question Jesus Himself is asking everyone listening to Him and all of us to deal with John’s Testimony… to either believe it or to reject it.
Based on the ministry and message of John…. is Jesus, the Son of God, worthy of our belief?
God the Father bears witness about Jesus.... John’s sole ministry and purpose was to bear witness about Jesus… pointing people to Jesus… next, Jesus calls the Witness of Miracles to the stand.
3. Witness of Miracles (36)
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.
Here in verse 36 Jesus refers to the “works that the Father has given me to accomplish”.
What are these “works”? How are we to think of these “works” or Miracles as a witness to Jesus?
Throughout the Gospel of John, John calls these works “signs”. There are over 3 dozen miracles that Jesus did that are recorded in the gospels… and John tells us in chapter 20:30 that there are even more things that Jesus did that Scripture does not record.
A sign is a symbol, a pointer to something significant. A miracle can be a sign by pointing to the presence of God or to a prophetic figure who has been authorized by God. The miracles that Jesus did, served in this way. All the miracles that Jesus did pointed to the fact that He is God… authenticating His message and helping people believe in who He is.
The “works” or miracles that Jesus did reveal God. God is seen in and through the miracles. God is revealed through the works of Christ.
The miracles of healing show that Jesus is Lord and giver of life. The multiplication of the loaves (next week) shows that he is the sustainer of life. The healing of the blind man shows that He grants physical and spiritual sight. We could go on and on...
Later in 10:37-38 of John’s gospel Jesus will help people understand the value of the miracles He did when he declares...
If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.”
Believe the works that I am doing.... believe the signs… that are pointing you to the truth!
The testimony of Jesus’ works points us to the understanding that throughout Jesus’ earthly ministry, Jesus was conscious of carrying out the mission that the Father had given Him in the energy and power of the Holy Spirit. ().
Later in Jesus would say… “I do exactly as the Father commanded me.” In His High Priestly prayer to the Father recorded for us in , Jesus triumphantly declares… “I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given me to do”.
Because Jesus’ works were in perfect harmony with the will of the Father… they testify… they bear witness to the fact that God the Father sent Him.
But.... amazingly enough.... even though the works and miracles of Jesus were incredible… unmatched by anyone else in the history of the world (15:24) … and completely unexplainable outside of the power of God… there were many who still rejected Him (1:11).... that still did not believe.
The text of Scripture that we are studying today begs us to answer.....
Witness of Miracles
Based on the works (miracles) of Jesus…. is Jesus, the Son of God, worthy of your belief?
Jesus has presented the testimonies of God the Father, John the Baptizer, the works/ miracles of Christ… now he calls one last witness to the stand. Jesus challenges all those who still will not believe… to listen to the witness of the Scriptures.
4. Witness of the Scriptures (39-47)
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. I do not receive glory from people. But I know that you do not have the love of God within you. 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. How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? 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. For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”
Jesus does not pull any punches here. Jesus is confronting one of the biggest obstacles that the Jewish leadership held to, which kept them from truly believing.
The Jews had a superstitious reverence for the Word of God that led to all kinds of eccentric behavior. It was common among all those who dealt with the Scriptures.
Each letter of the Hebrew alphabet was given a numerical equivalent, and each word had a numerical equivalent… Each line thus formed a mathematical equation...
In fact, the Jews numbered the center letter of each line of Scripture… the center letter in each book… and the center letter in the Old Testament. (Hughes)
In copying the Scriptures, a scribe was not allowed to write more than one letter before looking back to the text. That eccentricity and focus to detail is wonderful for us because the transmission of the Scriptures was consequently so incredibly accurate.
Preaching the Word: John—That You May Believe The Problem of Approach (vv. 39–40)
In actuality, the Jews had a superstitious reverence about the Word of God that led to all manner of eccentric behavior among those who dealt with the Scriptures. Each letter of the Hebrew alphabet was given a numerical equivalent, and each word had a numerical equivalent. Each line thus formed a mathematical equation. In fact, the Jews numbered the center letter of each line of Scripture, the center letter in each book, and the center letter in the Old Testament.2
But, it also points to an underlying mistake in the focus of the faith of the scribes. They really felt, as Jesus said, that in the Scriptures (the physical scrolls) they had life.
In copying the Scriptures, a scribe was not allowed to write more than one letter before looking back to the text. That eccentricity and focus to detail is wonderful for us because the transmission of the Scriptures was consequently so incredibly accurate. But, it also points to an underlying mistake in the focus of the faith of the scribes. They really felt, as Jesus said, that in the Scriptures they had life.
In other words, life is found in the words of Scripture. The Jews believed this so strongly that some of them linked Scripture (the actual paper and ink… they physical book) and its memorization with salvation. All of this combined led to a misplaced enthusiasm and emphasis.
(similar to Islam and the view of the Quran…placed on the highest shelf in the home… (Family Bible) the physical book is regarded in higher esteem than the message that it tells...)
Sadly, although the scribes and religious leaders had their noses in the Bible, they seldom got beyond the paper and ink. These were the great Bible students of the day. But, in spite of their great knowledge of the Scriptures, they rejected Jesus when He came!
Imagine that you take a trip to Chicago and you visit the Sears Tower. You are standing on the observation floor and as you are overlooking the city… watching the sun going down in the west,… and as he lights are coming on along Lake Michigan… a man walks up and engages you in some small talk. He says, “Wow, isn’t that window wonderful? Don’t you see how wonderfully it is set in the frame and how the glass is wonderfully tinted? Then he takes out his pocket knife and begins to scrape off a few metal shavings.... and says… I’m going to run some tests and see what this magnificent window is made of....
Now, if that happened… I think we would find something a little bit odd about that man. Why? Because the beauty of the view from the top of the Sears Tower is not found in the window frame or the tinted glass.... it is found in the view! The very thing that the window allows you to see and focuses your attention on.
That little man missed the point.... he missed the whole purpose of the window. The window was created to show the beauty of the city… but all he saw was the frame!
The Bible is a wonderful window… But, we must look through the window of Scripture to see the beautiful truths of Christ and God. We should all be committed to the detailed study of the Word of God… But, it should not be done just so that we can talk of the maps, literary analysis and statistical graphs!
The Bible (physical book of ink and paper) is not an end in itself… but a window through which we can learn marvelous truths about God and Jesus Christ.
The Jews that Jesus is talking to here in , had not ever gotten past the study of the window.
How does this problem of the Jewish leaders apply to us?
What is the correct approach? In one way we need to come to Scripture like the rabbis. We should immerse ourselves in the Scriptures. There are no substitutes for that today. Each believer should work at truly knowing the Bible. We need to be people of the Book.
But, unlike the rabbi’s and scribes of Jesus’ day, we are to be people who come to the Scriptures without preconceived ideas or opinions that we try to force on God’s Word. (No water in the well illustration)
We are to go beyond the window frame and look to Christ. This is something we have to be dedicated in doing. When we come to God’s Word, we must look beyond the paper and ink and mine out the principles… the commands… the truths..., and apply them to our lives.
In this teaching Jesus claims that the Old Testament Scriptures are from God… and are fulfilled in Him. At the same time Jesus is saying that the unbelieving Jews have perverted the OT and misunderstood it (like many people do today)… and that the Old Testament itself will accuse those who refuse to believe it.
In this teaching Jesus claims that the Old Testament Scriptures are from God… and are fulfilled in Him. At the same time Jesus is saying that the unbelieving Jews have perverted the OT and misunderstood it (like many people do today)… and that the Old Testament itself will accuse those who refuse to believe it.
Merely knowing the facts of Scripture, without fully embracing them in your heart… and acting on them.. will not bring the blessings of salvation. A 10th century English theologian said this… “Happy is he, then, who reads the Scriptures, if he convert the words into actions.”
In verse 39, Jesus says
You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me,
Jesus is revealing the true hearts of the religious leaders by exposing the fact that they were already searching the Scriptures in a desperate and futile search for the key to eternal life. Ironically, in all of their deep studies they failed to realize that it is the very Scriptures they are studying that testify about Jesus.
We cannot properly understand the Bible apart from the Holy Spirit’s illumination of the Word or a transformed mind. The Jews’ passion for the Scriptures was great.... but, because they were unwilling to come to Jesus… the only source of eternal life… their search did not result in salvation.
Later in , Paul would tell the church in Philippi that salvation comes not from “having a righteousness of one’s own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ… the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith” (; ).
Witness of the Scriptures
In verse 43 Jesus says that he came in the Father’s name… and they still did not receive Him. This further exposes the hard heartedness of those to whom Jesus is speaking. Jesus points out that while they were not willing to accept that Jesus came in God’s name… He points out that if another came in his own name… they were perfectly willing to receive him.
Over the centuries there have been more than 64 false messiahs to come on the scene and then fade away. The first century Jewish historian Josephus recorded that there was an increase in the number of false messiahs leading up to the Jewish revolt against Rome in 66-70 AD. Then, 60 years later another wave of messianic pretenders emerged… but were crushed by the Romans. Jesus himself warns us in that as the end times draw near, the number of false messiahs will increase… eventually leading up to the ultimate false messiah… the Antichrist ().
Jesus turns to his accusers in verse 45 and catches them completely off guard. Jesus says that He will not accuse them… but Moses, the writer of the Law and the very one in whom they had set their hope… he will accuse the Jewish leaders of unbelief.
The religious leaders of that day would have been totally shocked at this statement. They proudly affirmed Moses as their leader.... It was unthinkable to them that Moses would actually be the one to accuse them before God of unbelief.
But… had they truly believed Moses, they would also believe Jesus… for Moses wrote about Jesus.
Now… did Jesus have a specific passage like Deuteronomy 18:15 in mind where Moses wrote...
“The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen—
Dueteronomy
? Possibly.... But… i am convinced that the entire Pentateuch along with the rest of the Old Testament were on Jesus’ mind and heart.... because they all unmistakably point to Jesus.
.... on the day of Jesus’ resurrection two heavy hearted disciples are found walking down a road … they are walking away from Jerusalem…away from hope. Then a man begins walking beside these two on the road to Emmaus and begins to tell them beginning with Moses and the Prophets everything that was concerning and pointing to Jesus.... We can read this event in , and once the two were allowed to see the nail prints in Jesus’ hands… once they realized that it was Jesus... he vanished.... the two begin talking with themselves about how their hearts burned within them as Jesus explained all that Moses and the Prophets had written concerning Jesus…
Sadly, these Jewish leaders that Jesus is speaking to here in … will ultimately reject both Moses and Jesus when their perverted understanding of the law leads them to Jesus’ execution.
Those that reject the truth and refuse to believe… have rejected the fourfold testimony of God the Father, John the Baptist, Jesus’ works, and the whole of Scripture that point to Christ’s deity.
Just as Jesus’ words to these religious leaders begged a response.... the text of Scripture we are studying today demands a response....
Based on the inspired testimony of the Old Testament Scriptures… based on the testimony of Moses and the Prophets…. is Jesus, the Son of God, worthy of our belief?
Conclusion/ Application:
In our day and age, eye witness testimony has proven to be rather unreliable.... Jesus has just presented us with 4 eye witness testimonies that we can rely on..... Jesus has presented us with evidence from 4 witnesses proclaiming the truth about who He is… and what He came to do....
The question is.... do you truly believe it?
Based on the fact that God the Father has sent Jesus the Son with power and authority, and has made Himself known to us… based on the ministry and message of John the baptizer which pointed to the fact that Jesus is who He says He is.
... based on the works (miracles) of Jesus… and based on the inspired testimony of the Old Testament Scriptures… the testimony of Moses and the Prophets
….. is Jesus, the Son of God, worthy of our belief?
The answer that John and Jesus are leading us to believe is....YES.... He is!!!!!
If this is true for you.... and I hope that it is....
How are you demonstrating that truth, which you claim to believe in your heart? Do we really believe in Jesus? Do our actions prove it to our neighbors… to our community… to those we work with day in and day out?
If you truly believe that through faith in Christ… our sins are forgiven… we are reconciled to God… and our lives are transformed....
… are you living as a reliable witness? … Are you like a lamp.... shining a light for Christ in your community so that people are pointed to Jesus?
Main Idea: Is Jesus Worthy of our belief? He is!
Our Response: Live as reliable witnesses of Christ… reflecting the true light of Jesus, the Son of God, in our communities so that people will be given an opportunity to believe!
Do you truly believe? If not, I would love to talk with you after the service.
...
We are going to sing together in just a moment.... as we sing, let’s meditate on this thought
We are going to sing together in just a moment.... as we sing, let’s meditate on this thought
“Is Christ worthy of our belief?” Is He worthy of all blessing and honor? Is He worthy? Is He worthy? Is He worthy of my belief...... Friends… the answer is yes.... He is!”
Let’s pray: