The Witnesses of Jesus Deity
So that you may believe - Gospel of John • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 57:24
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Is it true?
Is it true?
Just because someone says something, does it make it true? Jesus makes bold claims regarding his deity. Today we will look at the collaborating witnesses.
Recent claims (Jn4:26, 5:8, 17-18, 24, 26-27)
He is the Messiah (Jn4:26)
He calls for faith in the word (Jn5:8)
He claims to be Son of God (Jn5:17-18)
He calls for faith in Him (Jn5:24)
He claims authority from the Father (Jn5:26-27)
(Don’t need to read the box below, it is only for the outline)
Think about what claims Jesus has made about Himself in chapters 4-5, jot down what you remember, or better yet, look and note down on your own.
So, here we go for tonight, here is the plan.
Read and learn from passage (Jn5:31-39)
Look at the collaborating witnesses
John the Baptist (33-35)
Jesus works (miracles) (36)
Witness of the Father (37-38)
Witness of scripture (39)
Our Passage
Our Passage
Let’s look, learn, glean from our passage tonight.
31 “If I alone testify about Myself, My testimony is not true. 32 “There is another who testifies of Me, and I know that the testimony which He gives about Me is true.
33 “You have sent to John, and he has testified to the truth. 34 “But the testimony which I receive is not from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved. 35 “He was the lamp that was burning and was shining and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light.
36 “But the testimony which I have is greater than the testimony of John; for the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish—the very works that I do—testify about Me, that the Father has sent Me.
37 “And the Father who sent Me, He has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time nor seen His form. 38 “You do not have His word abiding in you, for you do not believe Him whom He sent.
39 “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me;
Anything stick out to you, catch your attention?
According to (v.31) what would make Jesus testimony not true?
What does Jesus say that John was (v.35)?
What were they (Jews) doing for awhile under witness of John (v.35)?
How was Jesus able to do the works that witnessed of him (v.36)? And why?
Ouch, look at (v.38) Jesus makes a condemning claim, what is it?
Finally, what is the purpose of the scripture, the Jews view, and Jesus words (v.39)?
The word witness is a key word, just like belief is, in the gospel of John. It is used 47 times. Jesus did bear witness of Himself, but by himself the witness is not collaborated or found true, there must be other witnesses according to Jewish Law (Deu19:15)
15 “A single witness shall not rise up against a man on account of any iniquity or any sin which he has committed; on the evidence of two or three witnesses a matter shall be confirmed.
Jesus knew the Jews would not accept His witness alone, so He brings forth other witnesses to collaborate his claims of deity. These witnesses will testify that He is equal with the Father, that He is God. Giving them reason to believe beyond His words, but the collaboration of the witnesses testimony.
John the Baptist
John the Baptist
We have already established that one witness does not bring collaboration of truth, so jesus brings in first witness, John the Baptist.
John testified to the truth, which they believed for a time (v.33-34)
His life was a living testimony, a light, shining the way, in which they rejoiced for a time (v.35)
So, what did John witness of (33)?
He witness of truth, what truth? glad you asked.
Jesus was the Lord (Jn1:23)
23 He said, “I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.”
Jesus was the Lamb of God (Jn1:29, 36)
29 The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
Jesus was the Son of God (Jn1:34)
34 “I myself have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God.”
John shined the light of Jesus since Jesus was light (Jn8:12) and the people were excited about it, until he called for repentance. Others accepted his word, but the Jews rejected it.
Jesus called John a light, let me give a good quote I found on this.
“He said that John was the lamp which burns and shines. That was the perfect tribute to Him (a) A lamp bears a borrowed light. It does not light itself; it is lit. (b) John had warmth, for his was not a cold message of the intellect but the burning message of the kindled heart. (c) John had light. The function of light is to guide, and John pointed men on the way to repentance and to God. (d) In the nature of things a lamp burns itself out; in the giving light it consumes itself. John was to decrease while Jesus increased. The true witness burns himself out for God.” (Barclay-College press commentary)
John rejoiced(35)
What does rejoice mean?
To jump for joy, oh they were excited ready for the Messiah who they thought was going to deliver them from the oppression of Rome.
Jesus works (miracles)
Jesus works (miracles)
From what they heard to what they saw as the next witness of the deity of Christ.
36 But I have a greater witness than John—my teachings and my miracles. The Father gave me these works to accomplish, and they prove that he sent me.
What did the teaching, miracles prove/do (Jn5:36; 17:4, 14:1; 20:30-31)?
They testify of Jesus, they testify the God sent Him
The teaching and the works (miracles) of Jesus bore witness of the deity.
The works bear witness of the equality with God because He was God. He was the long awaiting Messiah. The works bore witness of Him.
Jesus works were mostly for the simple, and they were simple acts of mercy and compassion for needy people.
They bore witness of the heart of God as displayed in Jesus.
The Jews were looking for a miracle worker, but not one who would demonstrate power, authority in simple acts of mercy and compassion.
Oh, true, or maybe you are thinking there were others who did miracles, like Moses, Elijah, Peter/John, Paul, did those prove they were sent by God? YES it does.
3 how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, 4 God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.
But none of them claim to be God, the very Son of God. This is the very thing that Jesus has claimed that He is the Son of God, the Lamb of God, He is the Messiah, He is God in the flesh. His teaching, Miracles proved, bore witness of it.
The works were specific, things the Father wanted to accomplish through the Son and at the end of Jesus ministry. He claims to have done just that
4 “I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do.
He had a divine time schedule, divine appointments, a divine task, a divine agenda for men to believe in the Son and have eternal life in His name (Jn14:1, 20:30-31)
Witness of the Father
Witness of the Father
By the mouth of two, the testimony of two something is established (Deu17:6; Num35:30) but Jesus did not stop, he brought in a third witness. The Father
37 And the Father, who sent me, also testifies on my behalf. You have never heard his voice or seen his face, 38 and you do not keep his message in your hearts, for you do not believe in the one whom he sent.
The Father testifies of Him; but they didn not believe in Him who the Father sent.
The Jewish people highly revered the word of God, the written word. The same word that demonstrated God’s glory through the giving of the Law to Moses, is the glory we have in the New Testament scriptures.
Turn with me for just a few brief minutes to 2Pt1:12-21, lets read this passage together.
2pt1:12-13 “12 Therefore, I will always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them, and have been established in the truth which is present with you. 13 I consider it right, as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder,”
2pt1:14-15 “14 knowing that the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent, as also our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. 15 And I will also be diligent that at any time after my departure you will be able to call these things to mind.”
2Pt1:16-17 “16 For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. 17 For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, “This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased”—”
2pt1:18-19 “18 and we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. 19 So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.”
2Pt1:20-21 “20 But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, 21 for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.”
So, why were those who were entrusted with the law, the promises, the prophets blind to their own Messiah? That is a good question.
They did not let the word enter their hearts by faith (v.38)
They knew the word of God but did not know the God of the word.
They knew the text but the truth’s of the text they were missing out on.
Witness of the scripture
Witness of the scripture
The entrusted word testified of the Messiah, the Christ.
39 “You have your heads in your Bibles constantly because you think you’ll find eternal life there. But you miss the forest for the trees. These Scriptures are all about me!
They loved the scripture, they studies every little tit and tittle of it.
They missed out on the testimony of the scriptures pointing to the Messiah of their scriptures (2Cor3:14-18, 4:3-6)
14 But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ. 15 But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart;
16 but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.
to search the scriptures (39) is the Greek verb (eraunao)
F.F. Bruce says this about it “it implies keen scrutiny, tracking down the message of the scriptures. The tragedy was that they people, for all their painstaking exploration of the sacred writings, had never wound the clue which would lead them to their goal.”
The view of the scripture hindered their faith
Because they rejected the God of the scriptures in the flesh, the One the Father sent, they were still looking for what would be a false Messiah. They had a wrong perception and were looking for that, a conquering king not a suffering servant.
So, tonight the claim was being proven by the collaborating witnesses.
Witness of John
Witness of Works
Witness of the Father
Witness of the Scripture
While we may not be witnesses in the flesh like John, nor seen the signs, wonders, miracles, nor heard the voice of God we do have the witness of the scripture that is the power of God for salvation. It is the power of God for consecration, the power of God for sanctification, the power of God for transformation. The power of God to be shared with others too!
(Prayer) (Close)