Witnesses of Christ Deity

Introduction:

In John chapter 5:18 after Jesus heals the paralyzed man the bible tells us that the Jewish leaders were so upset that He did work on the Sabbath that they tried all the harder to Kill.

Jesus doesn’t just walk away from this ridicule But he address these men’s arguments straight on .

They have called him out for blasphemy disputing his authority as God.

And Jesus in this eloquent speech he is about to give in John 5, gives them 4 witness that prove His deity.

This morning We are going to walk through these four testimonies quickly because I want us to spend the majority of our time together looking at what Jesus says are the conclusion of Denying His Deity..

Transition: Jesus is basically putting himself on trial before these religious men and acting as his own attorning.

As Jewish leaders -these men would have known the scriptures quit well, in fact many of them would have had the Pentateuch memorized as a child. They new the jewish law better than anyone else. and they were looking to Judge Jesus based on these Jewish laws.

Jesus knowing their hearts and also knowing the law, chose to use their arguments to prove his deity to them. He basically decided to play their legal game.

Listen to what he says in John 5:33“ If I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not true.”

Knowing the Jewish law that demanded multiple witness to prove something as true or false

Jesus in this statement refers them back to the Jewish Law in Deuteronomy 19: 15 ““A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established.”

The Jewish law demanded two or more witness to prove something as being truth or false.

And So here we have Jesus giving his opening argument. Stating its not my word that you have to rely on but I want you to listen to the testimony of others who testify on my behalf.

I picture him walking up to the front of the room so that all the accusers can see his face and he says to them I would like to call my first character witness. You have accused me of blasphemy- but I am going to prove to you through the testimony of other witnesses that I am who I say I am.

Jesus Calls to the stand the testimony of ....

Witness 1: John the Baptist.

John 5:32-35 “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.”

jesus was saying that before He came on the scene John the Baptist was preaching of the coming messiah and they were all very excited about this arrival. But when jesus appeared and John Declared him as that Messiah they were not so excited any more. Why because they wanted a king riding on a white horse coming to redeem them from Rome, but instead Jesus came to redeem them for m Hell.

The point Jesus is making from this testimony is that the message of john did not change. it was their response to the message that changed.

John proclaimed a messiah, sent by God was coming and their response was joyful excitement

John proclaimed Jesus as that Messiah Sent and their response quickly changed to hatred.

John bore witness that Jesus was who he claimed to be.

Transition: in verse 36 Jesus calls his second witness.

John 5:36 “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.”

Witness 2: the miraculous works that He performed.

Remember why they are mad at him right now? Because he healed a man who had been lame for 38 years. He miraculously did what no one else could do for this man.

Jesus simple spoke the words get up and walk, and immediately the man got up and walked.

and instead of marvelling at what had just happened their only thought was who told this man he could carry his bed on the sabbath.

They were more concerned about keeping the law than they were about the one who had come to redeem them from the law.

Jesus is telling these religious leaders if you want proof of my deity just look at the miracles I have been doing. and understand that these things can only happen because I am the Son of God, who was sent by God to do the work of God.

My deity is proven by the work of God that i am doing.

Transition: The third witness put on the stand is The teachings of the Old Testament -

Witness 3: The Scriptures (Old Testament)

John 5:39 “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 telling these men that the y know the words of scripture in side and out but they have failed to see the message of the words that they are reading.

The idea here is that they religious leaders tried to follow all the rules of the law so that they will be acceptable in God’ s Eyes.

and what Jesus is saying is that keeping the law was not the point of Scriptures. The law’s purpose was not to save us but to condem us. The law is what Shows us that we can not ever be acceptable to God. and it leaves us in desperate need of a Savior.

Jesus was saying that the Scriptures point out the need of a supernatural savior from the very beginning of mans existence and this bears witness that Jesus as the Messiah must be the Son of God.

Think with me about how the old testament bears witness of Jesus:

Just after Adam and Eve fell into sin in Genesis 3, God promised that one of their offspring would crush the head of Satan- the great deceiver.

God then killed an animal, Sacrificing its innocent life to cover the nakedness of Adam and Eve. This was the first picture of how Jesus as the Lamb of God would be slain to cover their sins.

In Genesis 12 ,God promised Abraham that through one of his descendants, all the nations of the earth would be blessed.

In Exodus God again gave Israel a picture of this coming Sacrificial lamb. When the Jewish people were in captivity in Egypt , God wanted to demonstrate his power over all earthly authority including the Pharoah. So He he told the people that all first borns in the land of Egypt were condemned to die. And the only way for any first born to live was if his family sacrificed an innocent lamb and to put its blood on the lentil and door posts of their home. and when the angel of death came that night to takw the first borns, it passed over every home where the blood was spilt in place of the first born child. This sacrificial system that was instituted in the Law of Moses pointed ahead to Jesus, the complete and final passover lamb .

Many of the psalms point to Jesus as the fulfilment of the promised Messiah

Psalm16 Speaks of the Messiah as one who will not die and stay in in the grave.

Psalm 22 “ David going through a great trial in his life cries out and says “ My God my God why have you forsaken me” the same words Jesus Jesus cried out on the cross knowing that the father was going to turn his back on him because of our sin.

Not only Do we see the evidence of Jesus as the Messiah in the Law and in the Psalms, but many of the OT Prophets wrote about The Birth the ministry, the rejection and the death of Jesus as the Devine Messiah.

Isaiah 53:1- 5 “Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.”

When Jesus Calls the Scritures to the stand - He is telling these religous men that even though you see& study the words right before your eyes you have failed to see the truth that they contains.

You have failed to see the message of the Messiah.

Transition: Finally Jesus Calls God the Father to the Witness stand.

Witness #4 God the Father

Look with me at verse 37-38

John 5:37-38 “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.”

Jesus has built his case for deity

based on the testimony of the Prophet John the Baptist- a teacher whom they respected, and followed,

Proven by the testimony of His miraculous works that could only be accomplish through the power of God,

And Solidified by the testimony of the Holy Scriptures which He fulfilled completely

Jesus is saying that you have called me out for blasphemy by claiming to be the Son of God, but these testimonies of my deity could not stand in truth if God the Father himself had not sent me.

The point is this.

The fact that John the Baptist as the spokesmen for God Declared jesus as the Messiah is the testimony of God the father.

The fact that Jesus demonstrates the power of God by instantly healing the sick and knowing the thoughts of sinners, and raising the dead is the testimony of God the father

the fact that Jesus fulfilled every old testament scripture about the coming messiah is the testimony of God the father

The fact that no human being could have done any of this unless He was sent by tGod, is the testimony of God the father.

These religious men have missed the whole point of history.

It wasn’t about the law and trying to be acceptable to God, it has always been about God’s Glory and his plan to redeem mankind through his only Son Jesus Christ.

and because they were so concerned about keeping the law they missed the blessing of being with Jesus and his deity.

Think about it- they were in the literal presence of the God that they claimed to worship more and better than anyone else, and yet they failed to see him for who he truly was - as their Messiah.

Transition Jesus has proven his deity through the testimony of witnesses.

Transition: After giving this proof, Jesus warns these religious leaders of the consequences of denying his deity.

Illustration of Consequences:

I don’t know about you but I have experienced a lot of consequences in my life.

On my very first day of school my dad told me that if I got in trouble at school there would be consequenses when I got home.

The first day went well but on the second day of kindergaten a boy in my class got into my lunch bag and took my apple so I told him to give it back and he bit me, So I popped him right in the head. Well that was enough for both of us to get to go visit the principle. But I wasn't as scared of the principle as I was of my dad when I got home.

I remembered what he said “ if you get in trouble at school there will be consequences at home.”

When i got home I tried my hardest to explain why it wasn't my fault. I am sure i argued over and over agian of all the resons why I shouldnt be punished

But in the end there were cosnequences for my actions. I failed to obey what my dad had told me and now I had to face the consequences.

This morning I want us to spend the rest of our time looking at 4 consequences for denying the deity of Jesus.

look with me at verse 39-40......

You Cannot interpret Scripture Accurately

john 5:39-40 “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.”

These spiritual leaders that Jesus is addressing in this passage knew the scriptures . In Fact, they were so meticulous when it came to studying it and writing it down that they would count every letter in the text to make sure they had it perfectly. But even with all of this study they still missed the spiritual truths that the Scriptures contained.

Many people search the scriptures to find out how they can be good enough for God to love.

Many people search the scriptures to prove their lifestyle as being ok with God.

Many people search the scriptures find truths that bring their life blessings.

But understand this morning although these seem like good reasons to read the Bible, this is not the purpose of the Bible.

The main purpose of the Bible is to point people to Jesus Christ.

and if you deny the deity of Christ you will miss the foundational meaning of scripture for your life.

I Love the saying “ lets keep the main thing the main thing.

When it comes to the Bible “All of scripture points to Jesus.

Luke 24:25-27 “And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.”

Jesus is saying the Bible is all about me and God’s love for you

iThe Bible is God’s Love story that climaxes with the resurrection of jesus Christ.

Many people today fail to see Jesus in Scripture because they misunderstand the purpose of the Bible.

Author Josh Wredberg said it this way.

“If you’re a Christian, and you read the Bible while missing the point, you are going to struggle with, confusion, discouragement, frustration, ineffectiveness, and Stagnation.

Confusion because the parts won’t make sense by themselves.

Discouragement because it will seem like a Duty instead of a delight.

frustration because your love for the scriptures won’t grow

Ineffectiveness because you won’t understand why it matters in your life.

Stagnation because you won’t see growth in understanding or maturity.”

the Bible is all about Jesus

To deny His deity means you cannot and will not interpret the word of God correctly . And if you cannot interpret it correctly you cannot apply to your life accurately.

Transition; the second consequence for denying the deity of jesus

You Cannot Love of God

John 5: 41-43 “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.”

Did you catch what Jesus is saying?

“ you cant say that you love God and Reject me as the one sent by God

If you truely loved God you would love the things sent by God.

four times in this passage jesus says I was sent by God.

John 5:30 ““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.”

John5 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.”

John 5:37 “And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. “

John 5:38 “and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent.”

You can be the most religious person on this planet but if you deny jesus as God you cannot love God because you do not love the things of God.

To say you love God would be to obey his commandments.

Think about it this way. If you have child who is completely rebells against your parenting, who constantly disobeys your instruction, and who ignores every thing you say. Would you believe him when he says “I really love you”?

No- You would probably be like me and say You don’t love me, you only love your self!

Our outward actions prove what our heart really loves despite what our mouths may say.

Jesus was saying to these men who claimed to love God ,that their refusal to accept the one God sent was evidence of their lack of genuine love for God.

To Love God means you love the one God sent.

You cannot love God and deny the deity of His son Jesus Christ

the 3rd consequence for denying the Deity of Jesus is...

You Cannot Bring God Glory

John 5:44 “How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?”

If you deny Jesus Deity you take the glory that belongs to him and place it on yourself.

If Christ is not on the throne of your life than who is getting the glory from your life.

These men were more concerned about how they looked to others than they were about bringing glory to God.

what Jesus was saying to these religious men was “ you go to church, and do religious things so that others will see how good you are and give you praise.

If you deny the deity of Jesus than your religion seek the praise of Men over the glory of God.

Our natural nature is to make ourselves look good so that other people notice us and give us glory.

We like it when people give us praise !

We may not verbally deny the deity of Jesus in our lives , But just like these religious men we care too much about what other people think about us and we seek the praise of others more than the glory of God.

To embrace the deity of Jesus requires humility in our hearts. .

To accept the gospel message, means that you admit that your life is a miserable wreck

you admit that you are completely messed up and in great need of a savior.

you admit that you are a sinner in need of Righteousness.

To receive the gospel gift means that you believe in the deity of Jesus

For these religious men their pride kept them from humbly accepting Jesus as their Savior which would have brought God from their lives.

The point is this you cannot bring God glory if you deny the deity of Jesus Christ -the one He sent to redeem you unto himself.

Finally If you deny the deity of Jesus

You Cannot Escape Eternal Judgement

John 5:45-47 “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?””

There is coming a day when all mankind will stand before God and be accused of the sin in their life.

and the Bible tell us that those who are guilty will be sent to everlasting punishment and those who are redeemed to everlasting life with Christ,

and what Jesus is telling these men is that he will not be the accuser but it will be Moses and the law that they are fighting to uphold.

In that final trial these men will stand before God and plead their case “ We held to the law, We obeyed the commands that Moses wrote.

But in the end God’s divine decree will rule them Guilty of all and condemn them to eternal punishment in hell.

These very religious men were banking their eternity on their good works. and I got to believe that their good works list is probably a lot longer than any of us in this room.

The problem with their argument was that they still had a debt of sin that required payment.

They make their case on the law of moses but failed to see that it was that same law that condemn them to hell.

Moses wrote about the fall of man in the garden and their need for redemption

Moses wrote about the coming savior who would crush the debt of sin

Moses wrote about the Passover Lamb who would take the place of the guilty

Moses wrote God’s commandments down for man to follow.

Moses wrote that man was sinful and in need of savior and this is what the 10 commandments are all about. They show us what it means to obey God, and also how everyone of us has failed.

and its this failure of obeying God perfectly that will condemn mankind to hell.

To deny the deity of Christ means that you have no savior. You have no one who is qualified to take your place and pay your debt of sin.

and this condemns you to eternal judgement.

Bring it Home

If you deny the deity of Christ than you will face the consequent

-You cannot understand the Bible and apply to your life

- You cannot love God because you love yourself more than him.

- You cannot glorify God Because you want the praise for your life

-and you cannot escape eternal judgement because you have no qualified Savior.

But when we embrace the deity of Jesus and accept him as our qualified Savior, these four consequences become four of the biggest blessings in our lives.

because of Jesus - You know see the story of jesus throughout the entire Bible and it now becomes alive in your life.

- Because of Jesus - You will love God by praising his son and sharing his story with the world.

- Because of Jesus - Your life will now bring God glory- because alone saved you and is changing you to be more like his son Jesus

Because of Jesus You are no longer condemned to eternal death in hell , but now are given an eternal home in heaven with jesus.

This morning I hope you are encouraged. because of Christ deity we sit here together as the redeemed church of Christ.

and I hope that after being here together you are excited and motivated to share The gospel of Son of God with the word around you.

it alone can take people from being the recipients of eternal consequences to eternal blessings.

Lets’ together Go and make disciples of Jesus.