Who is the ruler of my life?

John 5:18-29

Intro - We tend to despise authority. Why? We desire authority. We desire to rule out life.

We think if we are under self rule that we will be free. When we are under self rule, we are not free, but we are enslaved to our own passions and desires.

Illustration - I’ve spoken with many guys who went both to the army and marines. Those first few days in bootcamp, if you didn’t know what authority was you learned it reel fast.

-You learned that the only thing that mattered was what the drill instructor said.

-What was the result of following such a strict authority?

-In 3 months, you got a transformed person.

-Many times someone you were really proud of.

-They grew a lot.

-In confidence, In physical strength, ability to work as a team, ability to follow direction, ability to lead … In the long run this new recruit has been blessed.

Transition - I’m thankful that Jesus doesn’t approach us like a drill sergeant.

In today’s passage we see that Jesus is someone that has much greater authority than general or any president.

Why does he have authority?

verse 18 - “He is equal with God.”

He is equal with God because Jesus Christ is God.

He is the second person of the Trinity. He existed in the God head before time began.

He was NOT created by the Father.

The Son, The Spirit, and The Father have always been together eternally. There was no beginning to The Son, The Spirit, and The Father. They always have and they will always be.

God - the 3 in 1 - is Eternal.

???Enter here the Trinity shield.

The Father, Son, and Spirit are one. Our God is one. God “IS” 3 different persons. Each person has a roll to play, and at the same time - the 3 are one.

-You say, That’s confusing. You know why? There is nothing else in the universe like God.

Vs. 18 - Jesus goes on to explain His equality and submission to the Father.

Our passage today seems to be an unpacking of this truth that Jesus is God just as the Father is God.

Our first point is this.

I. GOD LOVES SUBMISSION, vs. 19-21

God loves submission so much that he brought it into the relationship with Himself.

-Our God is a submissive God.

-God Submits.

Vs. 19 - The Son does not work independent of the Father. When Jesus says, “ The Son can only do what the Father is doing.” This shows the union of the God head. The 3 in 1 work perfectly together because they are one.

Illustration

-My eye cannot look at my beautiful wife and at the same time look at my phone. My eyes are in perfect unity working together.

-The Father and Son, while different persons in the Godhead use submission to be in perfect harmony together because they are one.

IN BULLETING D.A. Carson

The truth is that the Son can do nothing by himself … Though he is the unique Son of God and may truly be called God and take to himself divine titles and, … yet he [is] always submissive to the Father. Not only does the Son always do what pleases the Father, but he can do only what he sees his Father doing.

The Father initiates, sends, commands, commissions, grants; the Son responds, obeys, performs his Father’s will, receives authority. In this sense, the Son is the Father’s agent though, as John goes on to insist, much more than an agent.

We see that even in the God head that there is a perfect submission that takes place.

GOD LOVES SUBMISSION

When Jesus rules your life. You are called to perfectly submit to Him.

We are called to love submission. It is a tool of godliness.

And … Submission and Value work together

I want you to observe something about submission and value work together.

When the Son Submits to The Father, the value or worth of The Son does not change.

The Son’s value is not diminished because He submits.

What is the take away for us?

Submission does not equal a loss of importance.

When you submit to your boss your value and importance never decreases.

When children submit to their parents, their value never decreases.

When a young person can submit to their parents and boss we say - they are really good at following directions. They are a team player.

As your pastor I must say something hard to hear … When a wife submits to her husband there is no loss of importance or value.

Leadership and submission to leadership is simply a sign of order.

God is a God of order. He is a God with intention. God’s intentions are good for you.

Submission is birthed out of God’s good intentions and great love for His Son.

Submission is birthed out of God’s good intentions and love for you.

Will you let Him lead you?

The son allowed the Father to take Him to the cross. Pause

Let me ask this question ...

If I am going to be holy and godly,

What does it take for the Father to lead me?

-For those more assertive people who lean into life. God has the wheel and the brake.

-He slows you down when needed and He steers your path.

-For those more passive people who don’t like to take risk, God is the gas pedal in your life. When He says go and do for me - you go and do and don’t hold back.

Who was Jesus Leader? God the Father

Who is the Christ Followers Leader? God the Father.

GOD LOVES SUBMISSION

Transition - And verse 20 shows us this

vs. 20 (Through submission) The Father will show greater things than these.

In last weeks passage Jesus, healed the lame man and confronted the religious leaders.

-The “greater thing”s are the PROGRESSIVE works and signs that Jesus will keep giving the people.

-These miracles that Jesus is doing and will keep doing are a sign that He is equal with God the Father. That He is God.

-What is the purpose of the miracles “…so that you may marvel.”

—Why marvel? You marvel and glorify God.

-You will be overwhelmed that God has come in the flesh. And that your very eyes have seen Him.

-You will be overtaken by God in 2nd person dying to make a final payment for sin.

-Coming up to Easter - So you will see God’s power over Sin, Death, and Hell by raising himself from the dead.

Notice - That these greater things are not focused on - so many people will be helped and healed.

-The healing is important.

-Even healing is secondary to the glory of God.

Gospel - One of the greatest God glorifying marvels is when God takes a spiritually blind person, who is an enemy of God, headed straight for hell, and gifts that person with spiritual sight, an awakened heart, and faith to believe.

-There is nothing more God glorifying than when a sinner comes to saving faith in Jesus.

-In this great work, we are called to marvel and rejoice.

-God has brought this person from death to life.

In all of the healing, marveling, and work on the Cross happened because Jesus loved Submission

Transition - Jesus gives a hard teaching on salvation.

Jesus not only submits to the Authority of the Father, but we see that The Father has given authority of salvation to Jesus.

2. Jesus Has Authority Over Salvation, vs. 21

21. In verse 21, we see Jesus Authority over salvation

Read verse 21,

Part A of the verse describes a physical miracle. “the Father raises the dead”

Part B of the verse describes the miracle of salvation, “the Son gives life”

Part A, God raises from the dead who he chooses to raise from the dead.

How do we know this? Because of what “Part B” tells us.

Part B, Jesus gives eternal life to who He decides.

-The father decides who will be raised from the physical dead.

-The Son decides who will be raised from spiritual death to life.

-Here is the point, Jesus has authority over who will come to Him.

Jesus has authority overs who’s spiritually dead heart will be awakened and receive salvation.

Jesus is the only one who can awaken a dead heart.

Jesus is the only one who gives salvation.

He gives salvation to who he desires.

-If you are a Christ follower, the reason you have received salvation is this ...

-In Jesus’s great authority He has mercifully made the decision to awaken your dead heart.

Did you deserve it? None do.

“Amazing grace, how sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me ... I once was lost but now I am found Was blind but now I see.”

-Christ follower, Will you say in your heart, “Thank you God for saving me.”

-Will you say out loud, “Thank you God.”

For what purpose has He saved you? vs. 20

That you would marvel. That you would glorify Him.

We are not at the end of the sermon.

This is an invitation to those who are not a Christ follower.

-If you desire to come to Jesus and be saved from sin, say “Yes” and follow Jesus now.

Trust that He made a final sacrifice for sin.

Marvel in His love for you.

Do not wait another day.

Hear the beauty of John 6:37 Jesus says ...

John 6:37 ESV

37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.

Come to Jesus! PAUSE

Transition - The unpacking of Jesus authority does not stop at salvation. The Father has given

Authority to judge the individual, vs 22, 25-29

Read vs. 22-23

Our current culture holds very few moral values, one of the greatest cultural sins we can commit is to judge someone.

-In our colleges our students are taught that moral truth cannot be know.

-That any morality that we now have is based on evolutionary process of cultures, so that peoples can survive in society and live together. Morality is simply a matter of practicality.

-That morality is not final. It is not absolute. Morality will shift as the culture shifts.

YET! Our academics believe that there is one moral absolute rule that must be held to and only one.

-That you are not to have moral absolutes.

-It is completely allowable to judge someone for having moral standards.

-So we see that moral absolutes are inescapable.

-Even the academic must still have one.

-And so the academic Tiger keeps chasing his tail.

-One occasion, The letters Ph.D simply stand for Piled Higher and Deeper.

-So in our culture now, When you someone says, “You can’t judge me. or “It’s wrong to judge.”

-They usually mean, I’m calling you out for making a moral determination. Calling something wrong.

Problem - The New Testament commands the Christ Follower to judge and it also commands us not to judge.

-Judging has 2 meanings.

-Sometimes it means to condemn or look down on someone in your heart.

-To be arrogant toward someone else based on their sin.

-Other times the word to Judge is used it means to make a determination if something is right or wrong.

Christ Follower - We are commanded to make a determination of moral right and wrong.

Transition - The greatest & perfect judge of right is wrong is Jesus

There will be a day when Jesus returns.

vs. 25 tells us that the molecules of those who have decomposed in the grave will come back together. Their body will meet their soul and they will be paired. Then the Christ Follower will receive a new body, a resurrection body.

-At that time, Judgment will begin.

-The Son [Jesus ] will be the judge.

-He will judge you based on what you have done.

-Those who have not been forgiven by Christ, - your family, your friends...

Those people will be judged guilty and cast into the pit of fire and everlasting destruction.

But those who are in Christ. Those saved by Him - will be declared Not Guilty based on what they have done.

“I will be declared not guilty based on what I have done?”

Listen carefully, this is one of my favorite parts.

All that Jesus has done … obeyed the Old Testament Law perfectly, Never sinned, loved all who he came in contact with ...

Jesus earthly morally perfect works have been credited to your account.

You are judged on the obedience that Jesus has done on your behalf.

-If that wasn’t enough. He was tortured and shed His blood as the final sacrifice for sin.

Jesus has been given the authority not only to give life in salvation, and to be a final judge - and in being a judge - He has the authority to declare you Not Guilty.

Closing

The question is this. Do you know Him?

-Have your surrendered all of your life to Jesus?

-If you haven’t, today is your day.

Vs. 24, I skipped verse 24 on purpose

Here is Jesus promise for those who put their full trust in Him as Savior and surrender their life to Him.

John 5:24 ESV

24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

-Will you place your trust in Jesus who loves you and has died to make a payment for your sin?

-Will you right now say yes to Jesus? I trust you and give you my life?

Christ Follower -

One of my biggest temptations and struggles is wanting to be the authority over my own life. Not following the authority of my creator.

The authority of Jesus is like an umbrella. There is blessing living under the authority of Jesus. There is goodness and blessing that come by following and obeying Him. His love and authority keep us away from hurting ourself. Jesus authority is a blessing.

-There is a kick in the teeth verse I’ve never liked, but has always rung true in my heart.

John 14:15 ESV

15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

My friend. How have you been doing walking under the umbrella of Jesus’ authority?

There is someone here today that needs to come back to Jesus. Is it you?

The great news is that He has never left you. He has never moved.

Will you today say, “God I’m coming back to you. I confess these sins.

Will you come back to Him right now?

Opener, vs. 18

vs. 19-21,

vs. 22-23, Authority to judge the individual

vs. 24, Escape from judgement

vs. 25-29,