July 14, 2024
Morning Service

In our study of John, we last left Jesus healing the lame man by the pool of Bethesda.  This healing enraged the religious leaders as Jesus performed it on the Sabbath and had commanded the man to “take up your bed and walk.”  This violated one of the many rules that they had added on to the Commandment to “Honor the Sabbath Day.”  Look at the Spirt that is stirred within these men of breaking this rule, as they seem blind to the fact of the miracle that a lame man was now walking!

Joh 5:15-18 The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.  (16)  For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath.  (17)  But Jesus answered them, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working."  (18)  Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.

            This is the spirit that opposed Jesus that these leaders possessed.  This is the same spirit we battle today that comes from our enemy who has come to “kill, steal, and destroy.” (Jn. 10:10) They did not want to sit down and reasonably discuss this with Jesus, they quickly judged Him as guilty and wanted to kill Him.  That spirit is alive today as well with what we call the “cancel culture.”  There is no longer a common ground where we can agree to disagree, but if we disagree with this culture’s view then they seek to “cancel us” portraying us as evil simply for having a different opinion than them.  We as Jesus followers must be careful to not allow that spirit to come into us.  We are called to love those who oppose us and treat them with respect when they disagree with us.  We are to trust the Holy Spirit to deal with them to bring them to truth, our hate or disrespect towards them will only make matters worse.  Be careful how you react to opposition to your faith!

            Jesus now begins a series of confrontations with these religious leaders as He speaks truth to them, but they are not listening.  We however, are fortunate enough to hear this conversation as Jesus reveals some hidden truth of who He is.  Listen carefully and learn about our Lord.

 

  Joh 5:19-23 Then Jesus answered and said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.  (20)  For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel.  (21)  For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will.  (22)  For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, (23) that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.”

            Jesus reveals to us the close link He and His Father have; He could do only what He sees His Father doing as they are one.  What He is doing here is showing us that He has an equality with God.  The Father has committed all things into Jesus’ authority including the giving of life and even judgement.  Jesus is equal with God and proves that through the work He is doing.  This should cause us to honor Him just as we honor God.  This was very hard for the Jews to understand since they were not able to recognize Him as the Messiah.  Jesus goes deeper with a very profound statement and further explanation.

 

Joh 5:24 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life."

            Grab ahold of what Jesus tells us here and with the emphasis He says it.  “Most assuredly” puts emphasis like saying “without a doubt” this is true.  And then He emphasizes “I say to you” showing that He is speaking this truth to us as a new revelation of what He is bringing to those who believe.  When we hear and believe that God sent Jesus for us, we have everlasting life.  These are the words of Jesus Himself promising us salvation through faith alone.  It is not something in the future we will attain, but right now we possess everlasting life through His Spirit coming into our life.  God lives within us right now and eternal life is ours because we believe the words of Jesus.  And that is not all, notice that because we believe we will “not come into judgement but have passed from death to life.”  Paul tells us in Romans 8:1:

Rom 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

            Our sins are totally forgiven and forgotten and we will not face judgement or condemnation if we are “In Christ Jesus” and “walk according to the Spirit.” How do we become “in Christ Jesus?”  Through obediently following up our belief in Him with the act of obedience in entering into the water of baptism.  Paul tells us this in Galatians:

Gal 3:27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

            It is through baptism that we enter into Christ and assure that we receive His Spirit and move forward to “walk according to the Spirit.”  That means we allow the Spirit to guide our decisions, actions, and even attitudes as we move forward in our journey of following Jesus.  As Paul puts it this way “I have died to myself and live for Christ.”  God wants our heart and when we give it totally to Him it frees us to follow Him in love as we will now seek to please the One we love; putting His will over our own.  If we are living in that manner, we are free from judgement and condemnation.   That is a promise of God that we can hold tightly to.  There are times that we will fall short of what God asks us to be, but we simply follow the process set up in I Jn. 1:9 to confess our sins and Christ will cleanse us and renew us.  This is a privilege that we cannot take lightly, which shows us the grace (unmerited favor) of God.  Jesus here in John is emphasizing to us the importance He holds in our salvation and our lives following that.  He continues:

 

Joh 5:25-29 Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.  (26)  For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, (27) and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man.  (28)  Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice (29) and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.

            The Jews lived life with an expectation of something on the horizon, the coming of the Messiah.  Jesus again emphasizes the “most assuredly, I say to you” that the time of waiting is over and indeed is coming to fruition at that moment.  In these verses I believe Jesus is showing His two-fold agenda.  In verses 25-27, He is speaking of giving life to those who are “spiritually dead.”  He has been given the power to give spiritual life to those who were unable to attain it on their own.  Without Jesus we are dead and without hope, but with Him we are alive and full of hope.  Through His coming sacrifice of Himself upon the cross for our sins, He allows each of us to escape the “wages of sin” (spiritual death) and be given eternal life.  His first agenda item is that He has come to defeat sin. 

Secondly, He reveals to us that He has come also to defeat death.  “All those in the graves will hear His voice and come forth.”  He promises that all who have died will be resurrected to either receive their reward of eternal life or condemnation to do their part in the lake of fire all depending on their reaction to Him and His identity as the Son of God.  Death is not the end for the one who has believed and accepted Jesus as their personal Savior.  Paul explains this very well in I Cor. 15 the Resurrection Chapter.

 

1Co 15:51-55 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— (52) in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.  (53)  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.  (54)  So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: "DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP IN VICTORY."  (55)  "O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING? O HADES, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY?"

            What a wonderful promise we have that death has no power over us.  Why?  Because of Jesus!  Death is the wages of our sins, but Jesus paid our debt upon the cross giving us life.  This mortal will put on immortality in the instant that we hear the sound of the last trumpet if we have accepted Jesus as our Savior; death’s grip on us will be loosed and we will live forever more.  That moment comes because of the perfect plan of salvation executed by Jesus.  Peter told us in Acts that “nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we can be saved.” (Acts 4:12).

            We have built our faith today that Jesus is the Son of God.  He has explained His relationship with His Father to us and revealed to us His two-fold agenda.  He did not come to overthrown the Romans, but He came to defeat sin and death.  His mission is successfully completed.  The question now falls to you; “who do you say that I am?” (Matt. 16:15)

 

Heavenly Father, thank You for the perfect plan of salvation and the faithfulness of Jesus our Savior.  Thank You for loving us so much to offer Your Son to pay the price for our sins.