John 5:37-47 - The Witness of the Father & Scriptures
The Witness of the Father & Scriptures
The Witnesses.
A. The Father (v.37-38)
1. The Father Himself sent Jesus & has testified of Him.
q We know that in Matthews Gospel at Jesus’ baptism, a voice came from heaven saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (3:17).
q At the transfiguration a voice came out of the cloud saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him”! (Matt.17:5)
q Jesus Himself said in John’s Gospel that “the God the Father has set His seal on Him” this means that the Father has authorized and authenticated the Son as the Giver of life (6:27).
q At the Triumphal Entry, Jesus said to the Father, “Glorify Your Name.” Then a voice came from heaven, saying, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.”
q Jesus also said “the Father who sent Him bears witness of Him” (8:18)
The Father Has Testified Through the Holy Scriptures
Many today reject the authority of the Scriptures (RCC) exalt human traditions
2. They have never heard His voice, nor seen His form.
Some people may think they have seen God, but they have not. However, it is not because God has not spoken or shown what He is like. He has revealed the truth about Himself and the coming of His Son.
Þ Some in the Old Testament did hear and see what God was like (Genesis 32:30; Exodus 24:10; Exodus 33:11; Numbers 12:8; Deut. 4:12; Deut. 5:4, 24; Samuel 3:1ff).
Þ Some in the New Testament did hear and see what God was like: Simeon (Luke 1:25f), Anna (Luke 1:36f), and others (John 1:40f; John 12:28-30).
However, most down through the centuries have not heard and seen God, and most still do not.
Þ The voice of God is in His Creation (Psalm 19:1-4) & Jesus Himself (John 14:19, 24; Heb 1:2)
Þ The form of God is Jesus Himself (John 14:9; 2 Cor.4:4; Heb 1:3)
Þ Your physical body just could not handle seeing the face of God. It'd be like trying to stand in the sun; you'd be consumed (Ex.33:18-23)
Today we can hear God through His Written Word (John 3:16; 15:15)
3. They Did not have the Fathers Word abiding in them
If they would have believed that Jesus was the one prophesied in the O.T. they would have the Fathers Word abiding in them, but since they did not believe in Jesus, this proves they do not have His Word abiding in them.
q John 1:11 says that, “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him”
q Jesus is the Living Word who became flesh (John 1:1, 14)
q We are His disciples if we abide in His Word (John 8:31)
q Jesus insisted that anyone who believed in Him was at the same time exercising belief in God the Father (John 12:44-48). Jesus explained that He was the personal manifestation of God (see 1:18; Col. 1:15; Heb. 1:3).
1) The Word Of God Must Be Abiding In A Person. This means two things.
(a) The Word of God must be “in you” not just among you (John 5:38).
The Jews had the Word of God all around him: on his desk and table, in his home and church, on his tongue, and sounding upon his ears. However, he did not have the Word in his heart, and unless something is within, it is not abiding in a person.
(b) The Word of God must be “abiding.”
It must not only be allowed to come into a person’s mind and heart, it must be grasped and clung to. It must stay within and remain and not be allowed to depart. Abiding means the Word of God is...
q living, moving, ruling, and reigning in a person’s life and heart.
q stirring, convicting, and challenging a person.
q leading to confession, repentance, growth, and maturity in the Christian Life.
Thought 1. When God’s word truly abides in a person, that person naturally accepts what God says and lives as God says, and that person believes God’s Son. It would be impossible to accept what God says and not accept what He says about His Son. To reject what God says about His Son is to reject God’s Word. If a person does not believe God’s Son, to whom God witnesses, then God’s Word does not abide in that person.
B. The Scriptures (v.39-
1. You Search the Scriptures . . .
Searching the Scriptures is important in the Life of the Christian. Paul told Timothy to:
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15 NKJV)
Because the Scriptures equip us for good work:
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17 NKJV)
Paul Even commended the Berean’s for their diligence in this:
These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. (Acts 17:11 NKJV)
Searching the Scriptures Will Also Equip to Test the Spirits:
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. (1 John 4:1 NKJV)
The Origin Of Scripture Is God
The Old Testament prophets received their messages from the mouth of God by their frequent statements, “Thus says the Lord.”
Ezekiel testified time after time that he spoke the words God had given to him.
Moreover he said to me, "Son of man, all my words that I shall speak to you receive in your heart, and hear with your ears. And go, get you to the exiles, to your people, and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD'; whether they hear or refuse to hear." (Ezek. 3:10-11)
Thus, the message spoken by the prophets was the message given to them by the Lord
The Lord said to Moses, “Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak." And you shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth; and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and will teach you what you shall do. (Ex. 4:12,15 cf. Ex. 7:1-2)
The prophet Jeremiah wrote,
Now the word of the LORD came to me saying "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations." Then the LORD put forth his hand and touched my mouth; and the LORD said to me, "Behold, I have put my words in your mouth. (Jer. 1:4,5,9)
Paul Wrote To The Galatians That It Was God Who Gave Him His Message,
But when He who had set me apart before I was born, and had called me through His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son to me, in order that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not confer with flesh and blood.” (Gal. 1:15,16) Paul did not get his message from his fellow apostles-it came directly from God.
The disciple John wrote,
I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet saying, "Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea." (Rev. 1:10,11)
Paul’s emphasis, then, is on the origin of the Scriptures: that which is God-breathed is:
produced by the creative breath of the Almighty. In the same way God breathed the universe into existence, “By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and all their host by the breath of his mouth. For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood forth.” (Ps. 33:6,9) The same way God-breathed the Bible into existence.
Sometimes the word “Scripture” is used in place of the word “God.”
And the scripture . . . preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, "In you shall all the nations be blessed." (Galatians 3:8). “But the scripture consigned all things to sin, that what was promised to faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.” (Galatians 3:22).
When the Scripture speaks, God speaks. When God speaks, the Scripture speaks. In every sense, when you pick up the Bible and read it, you are hearing God’s voice!
2. What makes the Bible so special?
A) Christianity Believes And Teaches That The Bible Alone Is The Revealed Word Of God.
Even though it was written by men, the ultimate author was God Almighty. This claim was not invented by the Church, but is the claim the Bible makes for itself.
1) One Reason That The Bible Is Different From Other Books Is Its Unity.
q Although this book was composed by men, its unity is from the hand of the Almighty. The Bible was written over a period of about 1,500 years by more than forty different human authors. These authors came from a variety of backgrounds, including Joshua (a military general), Daniel (a prime minister), Peter (a fisherman), and Nehemiah (a cupbearer).
q The authors of the various books wrote in different places, such as the wilderness (Moses), prison (Paul), and Patmos exile (John). The biblical writings were composed on three different continents (Africa, Asia, and Europe), and in three different languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek).
q The contents of the Bible deal with many controversial subjects. Yet, the Bible is a unity. From beginning to end, there’s one unfolding story of God’s plan of salvation for mankind. This salvation is through the person of Jesus Christ (John 14:6). Jesus Himself testified that He was the theme of the entire Bible.
B) Another Unique And Wonderful Feature Of The Bible Is Its Christ-Centeredness.
The Bible, from beginning to end, in both Old and New Testaments, is a testimony to Jesus Christ, the “Son of Man” and the Lord of glory
And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. (Luke 24:27 NKJV)
You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. (John 5:39 NKJV)
1) The New Testament Tells Of His First Coming And Anticipates His Second Coming.
q Before his death Jesus Christ described to his disciples the necessity for his death, burial, and resurrection in order to accomplish redemption for the world. But he did not stop there. He also described to them his second coming, with glory, power, and judgment at the end of the age:
For just as the lightning comes from the east, and flashes even to the west, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be....And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other. (Matthew 24:27, 30–31)
2) The Old Testament Records The Preparation For The Coming Of The Messiah.
q The Gospels record the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ our Lord.
§ The book of Acts records the propagation of the gospel (the good news) concerning Jesus Christ.
§ The Epistles (letters) explain the gospel and its implications for our lives.
§ The book of Revelation anticipates and describes the second coming of Jesus Christ and the establishment of his eternal kingdom.
§ From beginning to end, the Bible glorifies Jesus Christ and centers on him. Its Christ-centeredness is one of its wonderful features.
3. In them you think you have eternal life, these are they which testify of Me (v.39)
Many think they have eternal life by searching the Scriptures. Jesus defined for us what eternal life is (John 17:3). Jesus not only gives us eternal life, but gives us “abundant life” (John 10:10)
A) The Misuse of the Scriptures.
Jesus & the Jewish Rulers agreed on the Scriptures had a divine origin. The Disagreement was the purpose and use of the Scriptures.
1) The Jewish Leaders Adhered To The Brand Of Reckless Faith That Favors Tradition.
1. They did not teach people to think biblically, to search the Scriptures thoroughly, to test everything, to discern between truth and error. Instead, they issued a set of rules and told people to live accordingly.
2. Many of their laws and rules were nothing but human inventions added to Moses’ law. And like most legalists, the rulers of the Jews were prone to extreme hypocrisy. Jesus denounced them in the strongest language: “You weigh men down with burdens hard to bear, while you yourselves will not even touch the burdens with one of your fingers” (Luke 11:46).
2) The Jews misused Scripture by treating them as an end in themselves rather than allowing them to do their primary work, which is to point to Jesus.
1. We do the same when we allow Bible study to become academic, & as a result do not allow ourselves to be drawn closer to God because of it.
2. Although they gained honor from men (v.41), for their doctrinal & detailed knowledge of the Bible, they did not gain salvation.
3. people today buy a Bible, place it in an important place in their home, but never read it, therefore, never come in contact with its author
3) The Jews Considered The Scriptures Rather Than God The Source Of Life.
1. Jesus pointed out that formal study of the Bible was not a guarantee of life to come, as the rabbis believed (John 14:6)
2. Many who missed Christmas (Matthew 2:1ff)
4. But you were not willing to come to Me that you may have life (v.40)
A) The Gospel Offer—offered to all (Matthew 22:2-14)! No one is excluded from the gospel invitation. Salvation in Christ is freely offered to all.
1) Jesus told a parable in Matthew 22:2–14 about a king who was having a marriage celebration for his son. He sent his servants to invite the wedding guests.
1. Scripture says simply, “they were unwilling to come” (v. 3).
2. The king sent his servants again, saying, “Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened livestock are all butchered and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast” (v. 4).
3. But even after that second invitation, the invited guests remained unwilling to come. In fact, Scripture says, “They paid no attention and went their way, one to his own farm, another to his business, and the rest seized his slaves and mistreated them and killed them” (vv. 5–6). This was outrageous, inexcusable behavior! And the king judged them severely for it.
4. Then Scripture says he told his servants,
“The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main highways, and as many as you find there, invite to the wedding feast” (v. 9). He opened the invitation to all comers. Jesus closes with this: “Many are called, but few are chosen” (v. 14).
2) The Parable Represents God’s Dealing With The Nation Of Israel.
1. They were the invited guests. But they rejected the Messiah. They spurned Him and mistreated Him and crucified Him. They wouldn’t come—as Jesus said to them, “You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is these that bear witness of Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me, that you may have life” (Jn. 5:39–40).
2. God’s love for mankind does not stop with a warning of the judgment to come. It also invites sinners to partake of divine mercy. It offers forgiveness and mercy.
Jesus said, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls” (Matt. 11:28–29). And Jesus said, “The one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out” (Jn. 6:37).