|
John 5:15-47
“The man departed, and told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had
made him whole. And
therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him,
because he had done these things on the sabbath day. But
Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. Therefore
the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had
broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making
himself equal with God. Then
answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto
you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the
Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth
the Son likewise. For
the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself
doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye
may marvel. For as the Father raiseth up the dead,
and quickeneth them:
even so the Son quickeneth whom he will. For
the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto
the Son: That all men should
honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth
not the Father which hath sent him. Verily,
virily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth
on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come
into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. Verily,
verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming and now is, when the
dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear
shall live. For as the Father hath life in himself;
so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; and hath
given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the
Son of man. Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming,
in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection
of life [cf. 1 Corinthians 15:49-56] and they that have done
evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.” [Greek: krisis,
more accurately translated, decision. So this resurrection is a resurrection
to decision, not damnation, which is a very
poor translation.] [Comment: Verses 28-29, starting with the word “Marvel”
is one of the two standard Bible proofs that there are only two
major resurrections back to life prophecied in the Bible. This one is a direct quote from Jesus.
The other is found in Daniel 12:1-3.] “I can of mine own self do nothing:
as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not
mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me. If
I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true. Ye sent unto to John, and he bore witness
unto the truth. But
I receive not testimony from man: but these things I say, that
ye might be saved. He was a burning and a shining light:
and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light. But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the
Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear
witness of me, that the Father hath sent me. And
the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any
time, nor seen his shape. [Comment:
The Israelites heard the God of the Old Testament, Yahweh, on Mount
Sinai, and both Moses and Elijah saw his shape. So
guess who Jesus is? You
saw in John 1:1-13. Now he will reveal himself further as
we go through John’s Gospel.] And ye have not his word abiding you: for
whom he hath sent, him ye believe not. Search
the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and
they are they which testify of me. And
ye will not come to me, that ye might have life. I receive not honour from men. But I know you, that ye have not the love
of God in you. I am
come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not; if another
shall come in his own name, him ye will receive. How
can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not
the honour that cometh from God only? Do not think that I will accuse you to the
Father: there is one that
accuseth you even Moses,
in whom ye trust. For
had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote
of me. But if ye believe
not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?” (John 5:15-47)
Who is this Jesus, anyway? Some say he was just a good man, a good
teacher
“We are in John chapter 5, so if you can turn in your Bibles to John chapter 5. If you are visiting this morning for the first time, it’s a real privilege to have you here with us. And in some cases there are seats before you where there are little cards….but if you’d like to fill out one of those cards, just give us some information about yourself, that would be great, we won’t harass you, we won’t send you solicitations and things like that in the mail….[or if you’re here today reading this transcript, be sure to sign the Guestbook]. So if you’d like, it’s there for you, to do that. John chapter 5, we left off with verse 16 last week as we’ve been going through the Gospel of John. I’ve shared this story before, but when I was at Caterpillar as a engineer in San Diego before I moved here, I challenged some of the other engineers I worked with to test the Bible, and to see in fact if it was the Word of God. Some of them were checking out different religions and I would challenge them, ‘Check out the Word of God, check out Jesus Christ. Test the Scriptures.’ At times some of the guys, we’d sit down and have Bible studies, and we’d go through the book of John, and we would ask the question, I’d challenge them to ask the question, ‘Is there any question that you have as we study this? And let’s see if we can come up with some answers as we study the Word.’ And I would ask that and challenge them to ask any questions, because I believe this is the Word of God, and I believe it stands the test. You can ask any question. Certainly there are mysteries with God [and certainly, concerning secondary teachings within the Word of God, there are misunderstandings, or differing interpretations which the various denominations have, which in no way hinder one’s salvation for belief one way or the other. These differing secondary belief interpretations will be cleared up after the 2nd coming of Jesus Christ.] But this is real, it stands the test. So let’s dig in, as I would challenge the engineers. And with that, if it’s real, they began to see ‘Yes, this is real and it stands the test’, then of course you’re responsible for the message. And I would see at times some folks, some engineers make decisions for Christ. So the Word of God, we get the opportunity to study it, because it is real, and to test it this morning. Maybe you come this morning as a skeptic. But I challenge you to be open and to test it. And maybe there are other arguments you have heard, other supposed experts, but look at it all, and check all the information, you’ll be amazed to see how this stands the test and indeed is the Word of God. That’s not true of other writings that are part of other religious systems, that’s not true. A lot of them you really have to put your blinders on. A lot of them you can’t test, because there’s really nothing to test, just philosophical. That’s certainly not true of other writings, such as the Book of Mormon, in the religion of Mormonism. I don’t want to point the finger at anybody, but just as an example. I’m going to quote to you about the Book of Mormon, I’m going to quote to you from Walter Martin from his book “Kingdom of the Cults” as he writes or includes a letter, part of a letter written from the anthropology department at Columbia University about the Book of Mormons. There was an inquiry made by a Rev. Brown of Fredericksburg, Virginia. He asked about the historical authenticity of the Book of Mormon, and this is the response that he gets from Columbia University. “Dear Sir, pardon my delay in answering your letter of January 14th, 1957” (this is a little while ago). “The question which you asked concerning the Book of Mormon is one that comes up quite frequently. However, I may say that I do not believe that there’s a single thing of value concerning the pre-history of the American Indian in the Book of Mormon, and I believe that the great majority of American archeologists would agree with me. The book is untrue Biblically, historically, and scientifically.” So you can test the Book of Mormon, and when you do you find that there’s a lot of inaccuracies, a lot of, historically it just doesn’t stand the test. There are many other organizations that would stand up and say the same, including the Smithsonian Institute in DC, just refuting that this is not a historical document. It claims to be, but there’s absolutely zero evidence of these great civilizations that supposedly once existed here in North America and in Central America. [The early Church had a lot of trouble with “other writings of other religious systems” that were trying to infiltrate the early Church, even near the end of John’s life, when this Gospel was written. See http://www.unityinchrist.com/misc/whyorthodoxy.html.] But that’s not true of the Bible, there have been people that have criticized it historically, and in time the archeological spade proves that what was said in the Bible that’s claimed to be history is indeed true. Even the last thing we studied in the beginning of chapter 5, with this pool at Bethesda I mentioned last week. Back in 1888 Schick discovered these twin pools north of the temple mount near the Fortress Antonio, and one of them is believed, and it certainly fits the description of what we have here in the beginning of John chapter 5, this pool at Bethesda. But for a time there, there were some that would say ‘Hey, the Bible isn’t accurate, this pool, we’ve never found it. Where does it exist?’ The city of Jerusalem was destroyed in AD 70, and yet there was enough ruins there to prove that this pool indeed existed. So, this morning, like the engineers at Caterpillar, we have a privilege of studying, considering the claims of the Bible here in the Gospel of John. And what exactly are these claims, and what does John seek to prove anyway? Let’s remember John chapter 20, verse 31, we talked about this before, but he says this is his purpose in writing [the Gospel of John]. “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” This is why he writes, that we would believe that Jesus is the Messiah, that we would believe that Jesus is the Son of God, that he’s God the Son, he’s God-man. But also, the result of believing is that we all would experience life. So as John is compiling and quoting about Jesus in things that he has said, he has this purpose in mind. And as he does this, as Jesus even states things himself, he proves, seeks to prove, of course he proves it very clearly, the claims of Jesus himself, that Jesus is the Son of God. And the evidence that he gives first of all, is the evidence of what Jesus presently does, back in this time, but also even now. The evidence that he gives is also evidence of what Jesus will some day do in the future. And then, thirdly, he gives four different significant sources, witnesses, that give clear evidence that Jesus, he claimed to be the Son of God, therefore he is the Son of God. And these significant sources that he refers to is John the Baptist, then the works of Christ as a source in themselves, God the Father, and of course the Bible in it’s entirety [see http://www.unityinchrist.com/prophecies/1stcoming.htm]. So you’re here this morning. Do you believe that the Bible is the Word of God? Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God? If you don’t, then consider the text that we have before us. And I would encourage you again to test it, because it is the Word of God, and if it is the Word of God, then certainly you’re responsible, you’re foolish if you don’t then respond and abide by the teaching that is here, that is for sure. So, let’s say a word of prayer and we’ll begin with verse 16. ‘Lord I thank you for the opportunity again that we have to study your Word. And I thank you Holy Spirit that even now you’re working in the hearts and minds of all those of us that are gathered here, and I would ask as folks are listening in [or reading this online] that you Holy Spirit would be upon us, upon even myself as I share your Word, and open our eyes all the more to who you are Jesus. Some of us have been walking with you for years, and we believe in you, but yet all the more you want to teach us more about you, that we can just see the wonder of your awesome power and your love and your grace, and we can walk in that realization. But some of us are here this morning, and we’ve been skeptics, and we’ve never even made a decision in our heart to follow you, because we’ve doubted and we’ve discredited, or as we’ll even see in the Word, we’re not willing to accept you and follow you. Well I ask Holy Spirit, you’d work on all our hearts again and give us light. And we ask you these things in Jesus name, amen.’
Jesus tells them who he is
Verses 16-23, “For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day. But Jesus answered them, ‘My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.’ Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the sabbath [in there eyes, not in reality], but also said that God was his Father, making himself equal with God. And 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. 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. For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom he will. For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, 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.’” Well, you see very clearly here, and even in this text, the Bible claims that Jesus is the Son of God, that he is God the Son, that he is both God and he’s both man. And no one else has ever been able to make such a claim and been able to back it up, that’s for sure. Now as John compiles information here, and gives us these things that have happened, these things that Jesus has said, it’s in response, as you see, Jesus has just healed a man, and in healing a man he’s upset the religious leaders because it took place on the sabbath. So as he compiles what he does, in what he compiles, he also sticks to his purpose. And again that is to demonstrate that Jesus is the Christ, that Jesus is the Son of God, and that by believing you and I will experience life in his name. Well as the Son of God, he healed a man, as we studied last week, a man that had been lame for 38 years. Just a tremendous miracle. I can’t do that of myself. I can’t heal somebody that’s been paralyzed for 38 years. But Jesus has done that. Nothing certainly short of an amazing miracle. And of course, Jesus, as we go on, and we’ve already seen, he performs other miracles. And it causes people to wonder, ‘Who is this man?’ that he can do such things. That he can take a man that’s paralyzed, that’s lame and say ‘Get up and walk and carry your mat’, and he does exactly that. But sadly in even more recent history there have been people that respect Jesus’ teaching, respect him as a man, but will not accept Jesus has performed miracles, that Jesus when he was here on earth did just that, and that Jesus does that even today. There are people that are skeptical of that. They say ‘I like Jesus, he’s a great teacher, but man, doing miracles?’ They come up with all sorts of explanations. I don’t know what they do with this one, this lame man, how they come up with a reasonable explanation to kind of write away how Jesus didn’t perform a miracle. Some will say, ‘Maybe he pretended to do it, I don’t know, maybe it was all just a show.’ But they try to come up with reasons, and they therefore try to discredit the miracles. But if you’re honest with the evidence, without any doubt, if you just look at even history. And maybe you’re here as a skeptic. Just check out the historical data, it’s clear, even in a lot of secular officials, people like that, not Christians historically, believe that Jesus did miracles, and wrote about it, historians say that Jesus did perform miracles. And we’re going to talk about that a little bit more as we go. But that just validated also that he was and is the Son of God. It’s amazing, though, in this case as you see in verses 16 and 17, and then before that, as you remember last week, that these religious leaders, these Jews, Jesus does this miracle, this incredible work of compassion, and yet they’re critical of him. In fact, they’re angry of him, they persecute him, and they want to kill him. It’s amazing that they want to do that. Their hearts are so blinded because of their traditions, because of their own religious system [which had departed far, far away from the religious system God had set up through Moses]. They’re threatened by Jesus. So because they’re threatened by him, they actually want to persecute him and they want to kill him. But they ignore the fact that he’s just helped somebody, a man that was paralyzed, and he raised him up. I mean, they ignore that. They overlook that, this incredible miracle. And they’re bothered by the simple fact that he’s done it on the sabbath day. That according to their codified tradition, they’ve taken God’s Law [as given to Moses] and they’ve codified it and expanded upon it, and their interpretation of what God has said, because he’s broken their tradition, they’re so angry they actually want to threaten and kill him. And that was true then, and it’s true now. In fact, Paul writes about this in Galatians chapter 4, about the law, about those that are religious, those that have their own little religious system, being threatened by the life of the Spirit. Galatians chapter 4, verse 29, “But as he who was born according to the flesh, then persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, even so it is now.” Maybe you’ve had that experience this week, walking in the Spirit, enjoying Jesus, and there’s people around you that say, ‘How can you listen to that music? That’s a sin.’ Or ‘How can you be part of that?’ when you’re just worshipping and enjoying your Lord. But they’re caught into a tradition, they’re blinded by a religious system, a legal code, rather than seeing the work and grace of God. Well, it was true of Jesus and it’s true now.
“My Father has been working
until now, and I have been working”, that is to say, ‘I
am equal with God’
Well Jesus responds to their threats in verse 17 in an interesting way. And it doesn’t make things any better, as you see. In fact they get even more bent out of shape. He says “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working”. Now what is he saying when he says that? They’re upset that he’s done a work on the sabbath. And essentially what Jesus says is ‘God the Father keeps on working, he continues to work, and I just do what he does. I do that same thing, he’s been working all along, and I’ve been working all along.’ And do you think for a moment God the Father would stop working? Do you think for a moment he would take off a day?’ I mean, just consider the implication if God the Father stopped working for a day. And he does that, and I’m just doing what he does as God the Son, and you’re all bent out of shape. But just imagine if God stopped for a day and just kind of went somewhere else. He can’t really go anywhere else, he’s a spirit everywhere, but just imagine if he just stopped working for a day. We’d be in big trouble. Especially if you consider Colossians, that Jesus is this cosmic glue holding us [and all matter] together, man, we’d blow up, that’s what would happen, if Jesus or God the Father stopped working. Of course, he rested from his creating, but he continues to preserve, he continues to govern the creation, and nothing exists at this moment without the continual energy of God working. [Physics 101: The protons in the nucleus of every single atom in existence are held together within the nucleus by some un-measurable, un-seeable, undetectable force nicknamed “gluons” by physicists. This force is undoubtedly God acting through his omnipresent Holy Spirit, holding all matter together via this “gluonic” force we cannot see or detect. We can only detect what “it” is doing.] So, their logic is backwards, that’s for sure. In fact, you could say that men themselves are not able to maintain, are not able to keep the Sabbath without the power of God. [And coming from a prior Torah-observant Sabbatarian Church of God, we learned this very quickly. Without God’s indwelling Holy Spirit empowering our Sabbath obedience, it was a sham. Now we had a good number of Holy Spirit indwelt and inspired believers that did keep both the letter and spirit of the seventh day Sabbath. But most, if not all would agree, it was God in us enabling our observance, making the Sabbath a joy, and not a work, per se.] In fact, they’re not able to breathe, and live, and therefore keep the Sabbath. [now this pastor just took that a little bit too far. But he is a Gentile Christian, with the outlook of a Gentile Christian.] So, the fact is, that God has been working all along. And it’s interesting furthermore to consider the British writer, George McDonald, his point, that Jesus’ miracles were often a quick concise version of something that God was doing all along very slowly. Like in the next chapter, Jesus is going to take food and he’s going to multiply that, very quickly. But God the Father, every day, is multiplying food. You go to a grain field, you go to a wheat field, there’s continuous multiplication taking place, slowly, but it’s happening. It’s happening on the Sabbath also, it’s happening every single day. God is taking food and he is multiplying food. So what Jesus does is essentially the same thing, he just does is quickly, instantly. [Physics 101: In what physicists call the Big Bang, the whole entire universe, with all matter, were created in one instant blinding flash out of what was not matter, out of nothing. That is why so very few physicists are true atheists at this point in time, they know better.] And yet they’re, they look beyond his work and his compassion, and they’re all hung up because of this tradition, this religious belief system that they have. Well, with the words and response of Jesus here, the Jews, now it says in verse 18, all the more want to kill him. Because not only has he broken [their interpretation of] the sabbath, but also by saying the God was his Father he’s claimed that he’s equal with God. He didn’t say God our Father, as they would say, he said “that God my Father”. They understand, in their system of belief, that he is saying, which he is, that he’s equal to the Father. Now with that, they’re really all the more angry, and they want to kill him because he’s equated himself to God. So, right here, it’s very clear---right?---we just get started in this study, Jesus is claiming to be equal with God. He claims very clearly throughout this New Testament, throughout the Gospels to be equal with God, to be God the Son, there’s no doubt about it. Now there are people, there are other supposed Christian groups, and I do not believe they’re Christian groups, who will say that Jesus is not God, and that he never claimed to be God. [John, when he was writing this Gospel along with 1st John 1-5, was combating two major heresies, Adoptionism and Gnosticism. Adoptionists claimed that Jesus was not the Christ, but only a super-good human being, whom the Holy Spirit made into the Christ at his baptism, and then just before he died, the Holy Spirit, the “Christ-presence” left him to die as an ordinary human. That is why John is repeating the very words of Jesus Christ, and his actions, to refute these heresies that were coming into the early Judeo-Christian Church, Satan’s attempt to try to destroy the Church before it could really get going. See http://www.unityinchrist.com/misc/whyorthodoxy.html. Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witnesses, all are a form of this Adoptionist heresy John is writing to refute. And John, the apostle John lived with Jesus of Nazareth very closely for the three and a half years of his ministry on earth. Who better would know these things? Who would you believe, the heretics and what they said about Jesus, or John, one of Jesus’ closest disciples? A couple Mormon’s came up to my door the other day, and right away I asked them, “You don’t believe Jesus was and is God, but just a good man. Right?” And they answered, “Yes, that is correct.” I then said, “Well according to the Word of God, and the apostle John, Jesus is God, so then you two must be heretics, and I have nothing further to say to you.” They turned and left immediately.] But right here, he’s claiming as we go on, his audience at this time sees very clearly, he is claiming to be God, so they’re upset. And it’s interesting, he doesn’t try to, you know, if they were mistaken in their understanding, he doesn’t try to correct their misunderstanding. But they are correct in their understanding, so he goes on. And what he goes on to do is actually, he seeks to defend and validate what he’s just said. So for those that say and have the Scriptures and maybe are trying to change the Scriptures, and say “Now Jesus isn’t claiming to be God”, how would you read what we just read there??? [laughter] I mean, the very audience that was there, and you have to consider that, that data, he claims to be God. So, then as has been said historically, he’s either a lunatic, or he’s a liar, you got three possibilities, or he’s God the Son himself. And that’s one of three options. You don’t have the option of saying ‘Well, he’s a pretty cool guy’, because he’s either a lunatic, or a liar, or he’s God the Son. Well they understood his claims, and he doesn’t seek to in any way to straighten out a misunderstanding, he just goes on to defend his claim. And at other times, they understand, at other times too, that he claims to be God the Son. John chapter 10, verse 33, “They say [K.Js. “The Jews answered him….”], for a good work we do not stone you, but for blasphemy, because you being a man, make yourself God.” And then in John chapter 19, they say “We have a law, and according to our law” as they seek of course to have him crucified, “we have a law, according to our law he ought to die because he made himself the Son of God”, meaning God the Son. So clearly, clearly, they understood that he claimed to be God the Son.
Before Abraham was, I am
[Comment: I can’t wait till we get to John 8, so I’ll give it to you here, who Jesus Christ really is, as penned by the apostle John. John chapter 8, verse 56-59, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.” Now who is I am? Turn now to Exodus 3:13-14, “And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.” The God of the Old Testament, the very one who led Israel out of Egypt and through the wilderness for 40 years, and who spoke face to face with Moses in the tent of meeting, and on Mount Sinai, Yahweh, the Great I AM, is none other than Jesus Christ! Now are we beginning to see what John saw and recorded, as he recorded Jesus’ own words?] Well, Thomas Schulz with that in mind, writing about Jesus claim to be God said “Not one recognized religious leader, not Moses, not Paul, not Buddha, not Mohammed, nor Confucius has ever claimed to be God, that is without the exception of Jesus Christ. Christ is the only major religious leader whose ever claimed to be deity, and the only individual whose ever convinced a great portion of the world that he is God.” Well there’s something to consider, right there. He claimed to be God, and a lot of people historically throughout the centuries have believed indeed he is God. Well with that, he now defends himself, defends his claim, by citing evidence, beginning with the things that he presently does.
Jesus does the works that only
God can do
He says ‘The things that I do, I do what the Father does, I’m just doing what he is doing. I see what he does, and I just go and do the same thing.’ So starts with this evidence of what he does. That that, in and of itself, proves that he’s God the Son. Now in verse 19, he says “Most assuredly” or “Verily, verily” if you have the King James Version, that’s something he does twenty times in the Gospel of John, and it’s this statement of emphasis, where he’s saying “Verily, verily”, “Listen closely, it’s real important what I’m going to say, it’s vital to you that you hear this, and that you understand this.” So he says “Most assuredly”, “Verily, verily” [King James language meaning “Truly, truly”] and he goes on and says “The Son can do nothing of himself but what he sees the Father do, for what he does, the Son also does in like manner.” So, essentially, like father, like son. ‘Like Father, capital F, like Son, capital S, as he does, I do.’ The very things that Jesus does proves his claim that he’s the Son of God [i.e. the healing miracles], because he’s doing the works of God himself, and you can’t do the works of God, all the works of God, unless you’re God also. [cf. Isaiah 35:4-6a defines the works of God, “Say to those with fearful hearts, ‘Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you. Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy…” These are the works of God, prophesied to take place at the 2nd coming of Jesus. As we have seen, Jesus is Yahweh, and the works of Yahweh are spelled out quite plainly in Isaiah 35 here. What have we seen Jesus do so far? Keep this verse in mind, for he goes on to heal the blind, and even lepers. He just healed a paralytic, a lame person who couldn’t walk to save his life.] And the incredible works and miracles of God, if you do all of those, as he is saying, then you must be God also. Now, interesting, by saying this, he’s also reasoning with them that this man that he’s healed on the Sabbath, ultimately God is the one, God the Father is the one that’s done this work. He’s the one ultimately responsible for healing that lame man. So if it’s wrong, then they’re saying that God the Father has sinned, is what he’s, using that reasoning, ‘I’m doing what he does, and I did that because he does. What you’re saying then, as Jesus is pointing out, is that God the Father has done wrong, and certainly he does not do wrong. Well I like this picture as a Christian, today, as a follower of Jesus Christ today, the Son watching the Father, the Son doing what the Father does, and that’s really a great plan for you and I as believers here this morning, is to watch Jesus, watch him in his Word, watch him in the Gospels, watch the way he lives, watch him as we pray in the Spirit, and consider what he does, and then go with that same plan. ‘Jesus, what you do, is what I want to do.’ And maybe I can’t do all those miracles [only God can], but in the same heart, in the same manner, as you go, I want to go today. [Internationally, how is Jesus going forth through Christians? See http://www.unityinchrist.com/missionstatement.htm for a glimpse into international evangelism.] Today as I leave this church, what you want to do, what you do Jesus, is what I want to do. That’ll keep you out of a lot of trouble. That will keep you right where you need to be, if that’s your perspective, Jesus what you do. You know, that old bracelet, ‘What would Jesus do?’, WWJD or WDJD, What did Jesus do?, the cross, there dying on the cross, the example of what he did, now I go and I live the same way. That’s a great plan. That’s the way the Son walked this earth, and that’s a great plan for you and I. It’ll keep us out of trouble, that’s for sure. I mean, I leave tonight, turn on the TV, ‘What would Jesus look at?’, you know. I get into conversations with other people, ‘what would Jesus say?’. I have time on Friday night, ‘What would Jesus do?’, man keeps you out of trouble, that’s for sure. But also, man it gives you a satisfying day, a satisfying experience. You can be sure that when Jesus went to bed at night he was satisfied he had please the Father. He had done the Father’s will. So if I use the same approach, I can go to bed at night going ‘You know I didn’t live for myself, I’m not all guilty that I just pigged out at all these places, and just played these games, and I ignored my wife, and I shoot off my kids, I just did my fishing, whatever, and I get to bed going ‘Man, what did I accomplish today?’. But instead I go to bed going ‘I really sought to do what you would have me do, I sought to do what you would do in and through me.’ And then you look back and Jesus has used you to minister to people, and you go to bed and you’re satisfied, rewarding life, great plan. It’s simple really. Just what would Jesus do, I think that says it pretty well.
|
