John 1:11-13 - He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
2 truths about Jesus raising the dead
I. Jesus Raises Both the Spiritually and Physically Dead (vv. 25-29)
A. Spiritual resurrection belongs to those who agree with Jesus (vv. 25-26)
John 5:25 - Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself…
1. We all are spiritually dead
2. Jesus has the power to raise us to new life
Ephesians 2:4-6 - But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
Colossians 2:13-14 - When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.
B. Physical resurrection happens for everyone (vv. 27-30)
John 5:27 - …and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man.
Daniel 7:13-14 - I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, and He came up to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations and men of every language Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away; and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed.
John 5:28-29 - Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.
1. Some enjoy the blessings of resurrected life
2. Others experience the torment of judgment
3. Jesus’ judgment will agree with the Father’s
John 5:30 - I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.
II. Four Witness Testimonies that Confirm Jesus’ Words (vv. 31-47)
John 5:31-32 - If I alone testify about Myself, My testimony is not true. There is another who testifies of Me, and I know that the testimony which He gives about Me is true.
A. John the Baptist (vv. 33-35)
John 5:33 - You have sent to John, and he has testified to the truth. But the testimony which I receive is not from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved. He was the lamp that was burning and was shining and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light.
B. Jesus’ works (v. 36)
John 5:36 - 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.
C. The Father (vv. 37-38)
John 5:37-38 - And the Father who sent Me, He has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time nor seen His form. You do not have His word abiding in you, for you do not believe Him whom He sent.
D. The Scriptures (vv. 39-47)
Galatians 3:24 - Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.
Who do you think you are? Who do you say that you are? Who do you claim to be?
Well – I am a father, husband, teacher, coach, theologian, student of the Bible, good person, obedient, follow the laws. That is who I am.
How would you prove it? Can you prove it just by saying that you are?
What if other people agreed to what you are claiming? Would that help?
What if you did something to prove to them that you are who you say you are? That help?
-Well that is exactly where we find ourselves in John 5 today where Jesus claims to be God. He claims to have power and he is going to give you witnesses and proof – he doesn’t have to but he will – do you know why? Because he wants you to be saved. He wants you to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus – the Son is equal with God the Father.
So - Who is Jesus? What are His claims?
open your Bibles to John chapter 5… Our church’s theme this year is… Enjoying Life in His Name…
Jesus came to offer life… Jesus proved He was QUALIFIED to offer life… Jesus proved He was the Son of God…
- That is why he turned water into wine…
- That’s why he cleansed the temple…
- That’s why he told Nicodemus that he needed to be born again…
- That’s why he told the woman at the well about living water…
- That’s why he healed the lame man lying by the pool…
In our passage today Jesus makes a really big claim… A claim that only God Himself would be able to make…
This passage teaches us two important truths …
I. Jesus raises BOTH the spiritually and physically dead (vv. 25-29)
….What….Jesus can do that? What…Jesus can raise the dead…
John 5:25: “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.”
Jesus again prefaces this statement with “truly, truly,” (or some versions “I tell you the truth”) to affirm the importance and truth of what He is saying. V.25 “A time is coming and now has come” He meant that it was a present reality, but also that there was more to come. In this case, the “more to come” would be the cross, Jesus’ resurrection, His ascension, and more. “and the dead will hear” Jesus was talking about the spiritually dead who hear, understand, and accept him. Those who accept Jesus will have eternal life. Jesus was also talking about the second coming when all the “dead in Christ” will rise to meet him.
A. Spiritual resurrection belongs only to those who agree with Jesus (vv. 25-26)
Jesus is saying “This is going to happen in the future… But it’s also happening right now…
That’s a pretty amazing claim… But what is he talking about? Was he saying… “Hey, there’s some zombies over there in the cemetery that have overheard this conversation… And look… They’re climbing out of their graves… Here they come…
No, when he says that “an hour now is when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God”… he’s not necessarily talking about people who were physically dead… but rather people who were spiritually dead…
And you say, “What does that mean?” (you say…)
In the Bible, the word “death” always refers to separation…
Jesus explains the troubling condition that all those who don’t have a personal relationship with Him are “spiritually dead.”
And already in this gospel… we have seen Jesus talk to different people who were “spiritually dead”…
-Nicodemus, who came to Jesus at night.
-The woman at the well who needed “living water.”
Both examples of people who were spiritually dead… But it wasn’t just them… Because Scripture teaches that…
1. We all are spiritually dead
Ephesians 2:1 says, “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins.”
It does not say that you were sick or on life support. It says that you were dead.
But…
2. Jesus has the power to raise us to new life
For those who believe… the Bible says they “will live.”
Eph 2:1 says we were dead in our trespasses and sin but verses 4-6 say…
Ephesians 2:4-6 - But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus
Jesus has the authority and power to grant life to whoever believes.
B. Physical resurrection happens for everyone (vv. 27-30)
John 5:27 – and He (God) gave Him (Jesus) authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man.
After Jesus explains the possibility of new life… he warns us that everyone will rise.
John 5:28-29 - “Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.
There will come a day when everyone will be raised from the dead – regardless of what they believed or how they lived.
When that day comes… Jesus will render the final sentence on their lives. And when that happens…
1. SOME will enjoy the blessings of resurrected life
What a person believes in their heart comes out in their words and their behavior. Their deeds will show their belief system.
Those that believe produce spiritual fruit…
- Nicodemus believed and led him to care for Jesus body after His death.
- The woman at the well believed and testified that Jesus was the Messiah, causing many Samaritans to trust Christ.
2. Others (who don’t believe) experience the torment of judgment
Jesus does not elaborate here on the type of judgment, but the Bible explains it in…
- Revelation describes it as a “lake of fire.”
Sometimes it is difficult, as a Christian, to see people through this lens.
In this passage we also see …
3. Jesus’ judgment will agree with the Father’s
John 5:30 “I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me
For those of us that know Christ… this statement might seem rather obvious… “Of course, Jesus’s judgment agrees with that of His Father…
We might wonder… “Why does Jesus even make this point?”
Some people don’t want to have anything to do with Jesus… They think they can get right with God without going through Christ…
- That is the what the religious leaders believed. They thought they could reject Jesus and still be right with God. They. Were. Wrong.
- In fact, as we work our way through this passage, we will see just how wrong they really were.
Summary so far: In the first few verses of this passage, Jesus makes some pretty astonishing claims…
He claims to be able to raise people who are both physically and spiritually dead… That is something that only God can do…
Jesus is making a huge claim… He claims…
- That He is equal with God
- That He can grant spiritual life
- And that He is the One who judges the living and the dead
And Jesus knows that this is a huge claim… He knows that this is something people are going to have a hard time believing…
And instead of just asking people to believe him… Jesus backs up this claim with some evidence… He provides…
II. Four Witness Testimonies that Confirm His Words (vv. 31-47)
Those who read the life of Christ are faced with one unavoidable question – is Jesus God? Part of any reasonable conclusion must include the fact that he did claim to be God. We have no other choice but to agree or disagree with his claim. Eternal life is at stake in the choice.
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are filled with claims of Jesus.
Jesus claimed to be:
-The Son of Man
-The Son of God
-The Messiah
-Teacher/Master
-One with authority to forgive
-Lord
-Savior
-The fulfillment of OT prophecies
Jesus claimed to be equal with God (5:18), to give eternal life (5:24), to be the source of life (5:26), and to judge sin (5:27). These statements make it clear that Jesus was claiming to be divine – an almost unbelievable claim.
John 5:31-32 “If I alone testify about Myself, My testimony is not true. “There is another who testifies of Me, and I know that the testimony which He gives about Me is true.
Now… Jesus is not saying his words are false.
Even though Jesus’ words can stand on their own, he’s saying, “Hey, I get it… I’m saying that I can do things that only God can do… and it’s not logical to believe me if I’m the only One saying you should… So, for your sakes… I am going to call 4 additional witnesses to the stand who will confirm what I’m telling you”
First up…
1. John the Baptist (vv. 33-35)
John 5:33 - “You have sent to John, and he has testified to the truth. “But the testimony which I receive is not from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved. “He was the lamp that was burning and was shining and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light.
Jesus is saying…
“Hey, you wanted to check me out to see if I was for real… You wanted to fact check me…so you sent some people to John the Baptist to find out what he thought of me…
- And that’s cool… Now, I don’t really NEED John the Baptist’s approval… After all… he’s just a dude… He’s just a camel hair wearing, locust eating, bearded wilderness man…
- But I bring him up… because you guys recognized that he was a prophet…
- So, if reminding you of his testimony helps you to get saved… then John the Baptist my first witness…
And what was it that John the Baptist said about Jesus?
He said that…
- The Messiah is Jesus, the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world
- “I am not worthy to untie his sandal”
- “He must increase, and I must decrease”
John the Baptist was an important witness to the identity and authority of Jesus.
So, according to John the Baptist…
- Does Jesus give spiritual life? Ab-so-lutel-ly
- Does Jesus have the ability and authority to judge the living and the dead? Ab-so-lute-ly.
So, John the Baptist is the first witness.
INPUT: How many witnesses did I say Jesus would call? 4
So, let’s hear from witness number 2.
2. Jesus’ works (v. 36)
John 5:36 - “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.
Is what you do actually a witness of who you are? Think about that.
Jesus healed people – he is a healer. Jesus provided – he is a provider. What he did was a witness of who he was.
As good as John the Baptist’s testimony was, there was a greater testimony—the works of Jesus.
-There are no potions, lotions or slight of hand in the miracles of Jesus. They were often done by just the power of His word without even touching anything. Jesus turned the water into wine and did not even touch the jug.
-Jesus healed the royal official’s son in Capernaum by pronouncing it though He was still some 16 miles or so away in Cana.
-The man at Bethesda had been sick for 38 years, but Jesus healed him instantly by commanding him to arise, and the man did not even know Jesus’ identity.
-Jesus cast out demons by simply commanding them.
-These are miracles which require God’s direct intervention. They bore witness that Jesus had been sent by God the Father.
The Works – the Miracles confirm the messenger and his message…
So, John the Baptist is the first witness… Jesus’ works are the second witness…
INPUT: How many witnesses did I say Jesus would call? 4
Witness number 3…
3. The Father (vv. 37-38)
John 5:37 - “And the Father who sent Me, He has testified of Me.
God the Father can’t say that about anyone but His Son…
That was a moment when God the Father placed His seal of approval on the words and works of His Son.
It was as if the Father was saying, “Hey… you need to pay attention to Him… He represents Me… Perfectly”
John the Baptist is the first witness… Jesus’ works are the second witness… God the Father is the third witness…
INPUT: How many witnesses did I say Jesus would call? 4
The fourth and final witness proving that Jesus is equal with God… that He has authority to grant life… and that He will serve as the ultimate judge of every soul… is the testimony of…
4. The Scriptures (vv. 39-47)
The religious leaders knew what the Bible said but failed to apply its words to their lives. This is a problem of many today. Knowing and applying. Knowledge and Wisdom. They knew the teachings of the Scriptures but failed to see the Messiah to whom the Scriptures pointed. They knew the rules but missed the Savior. They refused to let the only Son of God change their lives. Don’t become so involved in religion that you miss Christ.
Remember… Jesus is speaking to a group of religious leaders…
And in John 5:39-40 - You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.
Jesus says to these leaders… “Hey, you read your Bible thinking that IT can give you life. But that’s not true. The Bible points to me.”
Jesus is very direct with them. The message of the Old Testament is Jesus Christ, but they were lost in the delivery vehicle and forgot about the purpose of it. That would be like going down to the airport to pick up the king’s ambassador, but when he arrives, you are so enamored with the plane and examining it that you forget about the ambassador. They were extremely diligent in their study of the Scriptures, but they neglected its message…
And so, they did not recognize Jesus as the Messiah when he came. Let me stress that point. They had the information and the capability, but Jesus did not fit what they wanted so they rejected Him. There are many who are the same way today. They are unwilling to come to Jesus even though we have the His word.
In verses 41-44 Jesus points out that despite all their claims to godliness and piety, they actually had no interest in the things of God.
These religious leaders… were missing the point of the Scriptures… They viewed the Scriptures, yes, as a source of truth… But also, as a rule book…
But in verse 45, Jesus tells them that they got it all wrong…
Moses was the man God used to record His law… but the primary purpose of the law… was to help people recognize that they could not perfectly KEEP the Law…
And because they couldn’t keep the Law… they needed a Savior… They needed Jesus.
The Scriptures are the final witness…
So, what are the take aways from this passage?
You cannot be right with God while rejecting Jesus. It is not possible.
Today we have talked about the witnesses of what Jesus claims when it comes to his authority, when it comes to the resurrection – Where are you in all of this?
Rope illustration: Rope represents all of eternity. Black tape on rope represents your life on earth. You see an illustration of your existence… If you put your faith in Jesus – you will exist for eternity but if you don’t - eternity is a long time to be wrong… It’s a long time to be separated from the presence of God.
I want to urge you to cry out to God for the forgiveness of your sin and to believe in Jesus as the only One who can give you spiritual life…
Conclusion
You’ve probably heard the expression, “going first class on the Titanic.” It describes those who foolishly devote themselves to seeking after pleasure in this life only. This world and all who live for it are headed for judgment. Going first class on a ship that is certain to go down is not wise! Rather, get in the lifeboat while you can! There’s plenty of room for everyone, but you’ve got to get in. Commit to Jesus today. Believe in Him. Put your life in His hands.
Authors
More from Bob Anderson
No entries found