February 4, 2018
Evening Service

This morning we listened as Jesus opened up and revealed some things about He and His Father that had never before been known.  He told of the unity they share as One, but admitted that He submits to the Father’s Will.   It is love that binds their relationship together as the Father shares all that He does with the Son.  The Father has committed all judgment over to the Son.  The day is coming when all will stand before Jesus and answer for the decisions they have made in their lifetime.  Those who chose to accept the free offer of salvation and forgiveness will be rewarded with life, and those who chose not to accept it will face condemnation for their sin.  The key to receiving life will be our personal relationship with Jesus Christ. As we complete chapter 5 tonight, Jesus begins to offer proof of what He says is the truth.  In Mosaic Law, proper procedures required two or three witnesses to establish something as truth.  He gives the Jews four witnesses who will testify on His behalf.

John 5:31-35 “If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true.  (32)  There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true.  (33)  You sent to John, and he bore witness to the truth.  (34)  But I do not receive testimony from man, but these things I say so that you might be saved.  (35) He was a burning and shining light, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light.”

·        In chapter 1 the Jewish leaders reached out to John the Baptist asking him who he was.  He emphatically stated that he was not the Christ, but a “voice crying in the wilderness make straight the way of the Lord.”  He testified that he was preparing the way for One who would come after him and he described Him like this:

John 1:26-27 John answered them, saying, “I baptize with water, but One stands among you whom you do not know.  (27) He it is who, coming after me, who has been before me; of whom I am not worthy to loosen the thong of His sandal.”

·        John was sent to prepare their hearts for the soon coming Messiah; a burning light of hope that caused some to rejoice for a time.  He is the first of four witnesses.

 

John 5:36 “But I have greater witness than that of John, for the works which the Father has given Me that I should finish them, the works which I do themselves witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me.”

·        The second witness to testify according to Jesus is the works which He performs as they been given to Him to do by the Father.  He states this is the greater of the two witnesses so far.  His life speaks loudly of who He is.  He taught with the knowledge and authority that no man had ever taught with before.  He performed many miracles of healing, acts of love and kindness and exhibited power over nature, sin and even death.  He lived a perfect life in submission to His Heavenly Father fulfilling all things He was given to accomplish.  Nicodemus saw something special even divine in the life of Jesus and said this unto Him.

John 3:2 He came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God; for no man can do these miracles which you do unless God is with him.”

·        There is no more powerful of a witness than the life that we live.  Jesus’ life cried of commitment, power and divinity.  What about us?  If taken to court to prove that we are Christ followers would there be enough evidence to prove us guilty?  I certainly hope so!

 

John 5:37-38  “And He sending Me, the Father Himself, has borne witness of Me. Neither have you heard His voice at any time nor seen His shape.  (38) And you do not have His Word abiding in you, for you do not believe Him whom He has sent.”

·        The third witness is the Father Himself.  He made it very clear at Jesus’ baptism of who He was.

Matthew 3:16-17 And Jesus, when He had been baptized, went up immediately out of the water. And lo, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting upon Him.  (17)  And lo, a voice from Heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

·        The Father’s confirming voice and the giving of the Spirit as a dove testify that Jesus truly was His Son.

 

John 5:39-40 “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life. And they are the ones witnessing of Me, (40) and you will not come to Me that you might have life.”

·        The Pharisees believed that ignorance of the law was cause to be accursed.  They therefore diligently searched the scriptures because they thought that in mere knowledge they would inherit eternal life.  This great effort brought on pride that blinded them of the fact that the very things they studied pointed to Jesus.  They were unwilling to come to Christ and admit they were wrong.  They chose rather to stand upon their own efforts to gain eternal life.  They were so “religious” that they missed God’s working through Jesus right in front of their eyes.

·        Jesus’ fourth witness is the very scriptures that they so dutifully studied.  They all testify that He is God’s Son.  Jesus takes the opportunity to set them straight in their assumption that He was disappointed in that they did not give Him honor which was contrary to their way of behaving.

 

  John 5:41-47 “I do not receive honor from men.  (42)  But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you.  (43)  I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me. If another shall come in his own name, him you will receive.  (44)  How can you believe, you who receive honor from one another and do not seek the honor that comes from God only?  (45)  Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you, Moses, in whom you trust.  (46)  For if you had believed Moses, you would have believed Me, for he wrote of Me.  (47) But if you do not believe his writings, how shall you believe My Words?”

·        The Pharisees sought the admiration of their contemporaries for their knowledge of the Torah.  Their motivation was not to please God but to please man.  By becoming a man, Jesus had placed His divine glory aside to come to earth in humble obedience to God’s plan for Him.  He sought only to please God and needed no honor from man to justify Himself.

·        He then turns to Moses, their most treasured leader, to bring judgment upon them for not believing in Him.  He wrote the first five books of the Bible and often prophesied of Jesus as the Messiah.

 

 Deuteronomy 18:15 The Lord your God will raise up to you a Prophet from the midst of you, of your brothers, One like me. To Him you shall listen,

·        Jesus simply states that had they truly believed Moses they would have accepted Him as that Prophet he spoke of.  If we come to God truly seeking the truth, we will find it.  Many come to Him not seeking truth, but for a false comfort or justification to live the way that they want to.

·        What are we seeking; the truth or a warm fuzzy feeling that all is well when we seek to please ourselves instead of God?

 

 

What did we learn about Jesus?

·        John the Baptist, His works, His Heavenly Father and the scriptures all testify that He is the Christ.

·        He does not seek to please men, but only God.

 

What can we apply to our lives?

·        Let these four witnesses build our faith that Jesus is the Christ.

·        Seek to please God, not man.

·        Become a witness ourselves to testify to others of what Jesus has done for us.

 

Lord open our eyes and heart to who You really are and help us not to be too busy to see You working in the world around us.