Witness of the scripture

Jesus is not intimidated by the accusations or the persecutions of the Jews (religious leaders. There were certain events done on the Sabbath just to open the door for teaching they needed to hear and believe (even though they would not believe)

The religious leaders would persist in protecting tradition instead of understanding truth (note down Mk7:1-13) for your reading on your own.)

Warren Wiersbe says in his summary on this passage “but before we judge them, perhaps we ought to examine our own lives and churches. Are we permitting religious tradition to blind us to the truth of God’s Word? Are we so involved in ‘Bible study’ that we fail to see Jesus Christ in the Word? Does our knowledge of the bible give us a ‘big head’ or a ‘burning heart.’

So, here is how we will approach our passage tonight.

Read and glean (Jn5:39-47)

The testimony of the scripture (Jn5:39)

Their unbelief (jn5:40-44)

One last witness, Moses (Jn5:45-47)

Read and glean!

Simply Christians study God’s word so we can apply God’s word, so open up your bible or app and let’s read, and glean together.

John 5:39–41 NASB95

39 “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; 40 and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life. 41 “I do not receive glory from men;

John 5:42–43 NASB95

42 but I know you, that you do not have the love of God in yourselves. 43 “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.

John 5:44–45 NASB95

44 “How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God? 45 “Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; the one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have set your hope.

John 5:46–47 NASB95

46 “For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me. 47 “But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?”

What general observations do you see?

Who is the “You” in (v.39) and what assumption are they concluding?

What are they unwilling to do (v.40)?

Jesus makes a bold claim (v.42), what is it?

How does Jesus back up the claim (vv.43-44)?

Jesus then says how his claim should be proven (vv.45-46), how?

And He finishes with an admonishment (v.47), what is it?

If you have a red letter bible than the entire section is Jesus words, they are strong words against the religious leaders. There is sufficient evidence (signs, works) that have been provided. Yet what should have brought belief brought contempt.

So, now we can turn at look at our points tonight, so don’t close you bible, we are not taking many detours, or at least planned detours tonight, but will look at the passage over and over again so we can understand the religious leaders look and Jesus words.

Testimony of the scriptures

Do you remember what testimony means? Well, the scripture itself testifies.

John 5:39 GNB

39 You study the Scriptures, because you think that in them you will find eternal life. And these very Scriptures speak about me!

The Jews loved the scripture, they studied the scripture, they memorized the scripture, they wrote the scripture and carried the scripture.

They rightly believe eternal life was found in the scripture, in the revelation of God, but they did not accept the revelation as given.

They searched the scriptures

FF Bruce says:

“The verb itself (eraunao) implies keen scrutiny, tracking down the message of the Scriptures. The tragedy was that these people, for all their painstaking exploration of the sacred writings, had never found the clue which would lead them to their goal.”

What is the purpose of the scripture? Not looking for a biblical answer, looking for your answer.

The scriptures testify about Jesus

If their study was accurate and sincere, more than knowledge, they would see that they spoke of the Messiah, the Son of God and that is who the other witnesses claimed Jesus to be.

Can we have a testimony and yet not believe?

Their unbelief

Does knowledge always result in belief?

John 5:40 NKJV

40 But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.

They were unwilling to come to Jesus

They had the prophesies, they had the claims, the witnesses to back up the claims, yet they would not come to Him.

There is nothing we can do, nor that God will do, to make someone believe. It is persons free will.

The Jewish leaders wanted the glory of men, Jesus did not get glory from man, nor did He seek it.

John 5:41–42 NKJV

41 “I do not receive honor from men. 42 But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you.

Spurgeon said

“Jesus made it clear that having life is found in fulfilling the command ‘Come to Me.’ Christ is a person, a living person, full of power to save. He has not placed His salvation in sacraments or books, or priests, but He kept it in Himself; and if you want to have it, you must come to Him.”

Jesus received no honor from men

BJ Clarke in his commentary says, oh listen to this, for it is good.

“I do not stand in need of you or your testimony. I act neither through self-interest nor vanity. Your salvation can add nothing to me, nor can your destruction injure me: I speak only through my love for your souls, that ye may be saved.”

They had no love of God in themselves

They look and receive glory from one another.

John 5:43–44 NASB95

43 “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. 44 “How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God?

It was not a matter of head knowledge, it was a matter of heart.

Intellectual knowledge brought about excuses but did not bring love, did not bring faith in the One who could save them. They desired honor, glory from man instead of the glory and honor that comes from God that stood right before them.

They are willing to receive one in his own name, but not one who comes in the name of the Father

Jesus is claiming and forthtelling that the day is now, and a day is coming when the religious leaders would embrace a false Christ, an Antichrist who comes in his own name.

This rejection of Jesus who comes in the Fathers name, well, it leaves them open to terrible deception.

They did not seek the hone that comes from God alone

Pride is the heart of the matter here. Pride kept them from believing and it is pride today that can keep people out of the kingdom of God.

Pride is a fatal and eternal error. They, and we today must seek to honor the One who was sent in the name of the Father!

Another Spurgeon quote:

“But, oh, how many live on the breath of their fellow men; to be approved - to be applauded - that is their heaven; but to be despised, to be sneered at, to be called fool, to have some nickname applied to them; oh no, they would sooner go to hell than bear that.”

(Transition) this brings us to one last witness, Moses!

One last witness, Moses

The Jews called Abraham their father, and Moses the lawgiver. They claim belief in the words of Moses, but is it true, do they belief?

614 traditions, commandments added/given to protect the Law of Moses, but did they believe?

They, in reality, reject Moses for they reject Moses words of prophesy (Deu18:15)

Jesus said the scriptures testify about Me (v.39) what scripture? Look at our Deuteronomy passage

Deuteronomy 18:15 NASB95

15 “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to him.

Then check this out

The Lord’s instructions to Moses about salvation, a shadow of what was to come in Jesus (Num21:8-9; also can see Jn3:14)

Numbers 21:8–9 NASB95

8 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he will live.” 9 And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived.

Guzik says:

“No wonder Jesus could say Behold I come in the scroll of the book it is written of me (Ps40:7). He could teach a bible study where beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself (Lk24:27)”

Note down those scriptures, they are not on your outline, but I will put on screen

Psalm 40:7 NASB95

7 Then I said, “Behold, I come; In the scroll of the book it is written of me.

and then

Luke 24:27 NASB95

27 Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.

All the scriptures when this was said was the Old Testament.

Jesus claimed if you don’t believe Moses words, how can you believe My words

John 5:47 The Message

47 If you won’t take seriously what he wrote, how can I expect you to take seriously what I speak?”

Jesus is not calling them to some new belief, some new faith, a different faith. He called them to believe the words of Moses and if they did that then they would see Him, the Messiah, The Son of God, and God the Son.

(Insert the case has been presented PowerPoint here)

Evidence presented, witnesses presented, testimony received, but as you see now, and will continue to see that the testimony is rejected.

What you know, what you believe, what you do with that belief matters. It is a matter of eternal destination. There was time for them then, and time for people today to hear, believe, confess, repent, be baptized and learn to follow the commands so to be faithful until death.