All Authority - John 5:16-30

All Authority John 5:16-30 I. Introduction A. Healing on the Sabbath (in violation of their laws) may have brought on persecution, but it also gave Jesus an opportunity to display and explain His authority. B. Jesus shows us 3 reasons why He has ALL authority. II. Jesus has ALL authority because He is the SON A. Every single cult, most false religions and even some very well meaning albeit very wrong theologians and Christians (I use the term lightly) deny that Jesus ever claimed to be God. 1. Verse 18 shows that Jesus’ enemies knew very well what He was claiming 2. Jesus could have said wait waitwait, I think you misunderstand me…. a. He didn’t b. He continued to press His intimate relationship with God the Father. c. Jesus continues on with a powerful apologetic in defense of His claim to equality with the Father. 3. In C.S. Lewis’ book, Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis makes this case well. Many people say about Him (Jesus): “I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher but I don’t accept His claim to be God.” That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make the choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to. B. Jesus’ authority is grounded in His special relationship to the Father 1. Jesus uses the words “My Father” a. Not “Our Father” b. Not “Your Father” c. “My Father” which denotes a special familial relationship He experiences with God that is different from theirs (or even ours). i. His own ii. In a sense not true of others 2. Jesus claims to have been working with His Father. a. “Has been working…” indicating God either hasn’t rested, or the rest has been broken. i. In reading this and contemplating this I am reminded of the passage of scripture which Jesus states “The Sabbath was made for man” ii. Also where Jesus says “I am Lord of the Sabbath” “Enter into my rest” b. The Father’s rest may have been broken as early as Genesis 3 when Adam and Eve sinned. i. Ever since that time God has been working ii. Seeking and saving the lost c. A.T. Robertson notes that Justin Martyr, Origen, and others notice the fact of God’s continuous activity. i. Interesting to note that He made the Sabbath for man’s blessing but cannot observe it Himself. d. Jesus puts Himself on par with God’s activity and thus justifies His healing on the Sabbath. i. God rested on the seventh day from His work of creation ii. Jesus points to His continuous work as a justification for His Sabbath activities iii. God sustains the universe, begets life, and visits judgments; it is not wrong for His SON to do works of grace and mercy on the Sabbath. 3. The claim must be carefully understood. a. Jesus is not claiming to take the place of God or be an alternative to God C. Jesus is the Son of God and as such there is a Father Son relationship experienced. (Verses 19-30 1. “Most assuredly” this phrase is used 2 more times (verses 24 and 25) in this dialogue turned monologue a. Other translations read it as Verily Verily or Truly Truly – Literally Amen Amen b. Amen is a transliteration from Hebrew originally meant trustworthiness c. It has since come to be used to affirm a truth in the strongest sense d. Jesus is the only one known to use this at the beginning of a statement. i. John is the only one to record the doubling of the term ii. I say all of this to tell you today and in our language we might simply say “listen UP” 2. Listen UP “The Son does what the Father does” verse 19-20 a. The Son can do nothing of Himself but what He sees the Father do i. Can you do what your father does? ii. Some of us may be doing what our father does, maybe they have shown us how to do it iii. I cannot do what my father does my brain works differently i. The important point is we probably can do what our earthly fathers do ii. We are made in the same way iv. Can you do what God the Father does? i. Can anyone? ii. Only God can do what God does right? iii. Well Jesus is saying that He can do what the Father does 1. He is the same as the Father 2. He is working in submission to the Father 3. The Father Loves the Son a. Not Agape but Phileo i. A Familial Love b. God the Father shows Him all the things He himself does c. Marvel – Wonder i. Wonder belongs to childhood and to men of knowledge ii. Modern science has increased the occasion for wonder. d. As God’s agent, Jesus received direct insight from the Father and acted in accordance with the Father’s wishes i. The actions of Jesus were therefore the actions of the Father ii. Doing the will of Him who sent Him APPLICATION Jesus has since passed on authority to us for great works! John 14:12–14 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. 13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. III. Jesus has ALL authority because He is the SAVIOR (verse 21-26) A. The Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even the Son gives life to whom He will 1. Those who hear and believe 2. Those dead who hear will live B. As the Father has life in Himself He has granted the Son to have life in Himself 1. To give a. To those who honor Father and Son 2. To withhold a. From those who do not honor the Son, though they honor the Father b. You cannot love God and not Jesus c. You cannot follow God without accepting Jesus d. God is the one who sent Jesus i. The will of God is that they would receive Him whom He sent C. Listen UP Believe in Jesus for everlasting life 1. Jesus as your Savior requires belief in Him 2. He who believes has life 3. He who has the Son has life, He who does not have the Son does not have Life. 4. Dead sinners are raised from the dead by hearing God’s word and believing on God’s son a. Each time He raised somebody from the dead, He spoke the word b. His word is living and powerful (Hebrews 4:12) 5. Everlasting life means they can never die spiritually again or come into judgment 6. Hearing His word and believing means salvation, rejection means condemnation APPLICATION Jesus is SAVIOR but he has commissioned us as well, not as SAVIORS but to have a part in SALVATION. We carry the Gospel message, we proclaim the truth of Jesus as the ONLY one by which MEN MUST BE SAVED IV. Jesus has ALL authority because He is the SEPARATOR (verse 22 A. Jesus the judge who will separate men to left and the right 1. The son possesses all judgment a. The Father does not judge b. Jesus alone reserves this responsibility 2. All those people who say the God of the Old Testament is full of judgment and Jesus is full of love are missing this important passage detailing that Jesus is the one, not the Father B. Judgment is executed in the resurrections 1. The resurrection of Dead Sinners today (24-27) a. This is a spiritual resurrection b. Ephesians 2:1–3 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. c. Takes place when sinners hear the word and believe. 2. The resurrection of Eternal Life (28-29) a. When believers are raised from the dead i. John 5:28-29a ii. 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 But 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. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words. b. The resurrection body is a new body, a glorified body, suited for the new heavenly environment i. Death is not the end for the believer ii. We also will not live as disembodied spirits 3. The resurrection of condemnation (29) a. The resurrection of the lost i. John 5:29b ii. Revelation 20:11–15 “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. 14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.” C. The Father has committed all judgment to the son John 5:22 1. Listen up the time is coming for Jesus to call to judgment a. The dead either hear the call to life i. Those who had done good b. Or they hear the call for condemnation i. Those who had done evil c. You will reap what you sow (Galatians 6:6) 2. Jesus judges rightly because He is the Son of Man a. He is fully God b. He is fully Man c. Refers to Daniel 7:13–14 (NKJV) d. e. 13 “I was watching in the night visions, f. And behold, One like the Son of Man, g. Coming with the clouds of heaven! h. He came to the Ancient of Days, i. And they brought Him near before Him. j. 14 Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, k. That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. l. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, m. Which shall not pass away, n. And His kingdom the one. o. Which shall not be destroyed. George Will writes in Men at Work: “Baseball umpires are carved from granite and stuffed with microchips...they are professional dispensers of pure justice. Once when Babe Pinelli called Babe Ruth out on strikes, Ruth made a populist argument. Ruth reasoned fallaciously (as populists do) from raw numbers to moral weight: ‘There’s 40,000 people here who know that last one was a ball, tomato head.’” "Pinelli replied with the measured stateliness of John Marshall: ‘Maybe so, but mine is the only opinion that counts.’” The same is true for us. There is only one opinion that counts so to speak. It belongs to the Designer of the universe, for we are designed to live according to the moral law of God. APPLICATION Jesus wants us to warn people of the coming judgment. To be prepared, to know what will take place. Until Jesus returns, we are the voice V. As we close we must acknowledge the fact that Life is in the SON and there is no other way to heaven. A. We must all answer a question before us today Who Is Jesus? 1. Legend 2. Liar 3. Lunatic 4. Lord a. If Jesus did exist and His claim to be God is true, then He is nothing less than Lord i. He is the Lord of life ii. He holds all life in His hands b. Paul has it correct in Philippians 2:5–11 “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. B. Today Jesus is the Savior, and tomorrow He will be the judge. 1. Death will not keep lost sinners from the judgment 2. There is no escape, EXCEPT faith in Jesus