Storms of Life

, ,

Believe

Storms of Life

(John 6:16-21)

 

INTRODUCTION

“For the past 25 years, Jim Cantore, The Weather Channel's ‘Storm-tracker,’ has tracked, chased, run into, and then reported on some of the most extreme storms on the planet. A 2011 USA Today article on Cantore noted, ‘Whether he is leaning into the ferocious winds of a hurricane or shivering as a blast of polar air drops down from the Arctic, Cantore, 47, is often on the scene to help viewers appreciate how weather tests us.’

 

In the spring of 2011, Cantore provided coverage in the midst of the severe tornado outbreaks in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and Joplin, Missouri. Both towns suffered extensive damage. ‘It was as unthinkable as you would think,’ Cantore says. ‘Houses were piled up into corners, and the streets looked more like movie sets.’

 

But according to Cantore, these kinds of storms pale in comparison to the personal storms of life that some people experience on a daily basis. In particular, Cantore thinks of his two children, both of whom were born with Fragile X syndrome, a genetic disorder that can lead to autism-like symptoms. Cantore says that his children have the real storms of life, or what he calls the ‘storms that hurt the most and never go away.’

 

Cantore says, ‘What my children have to deal with on a daily basis is by far more difficult than anything I will ever come in contact with.’”

 

Jonathan Lebowitz, "Jim Cantore Has Weathered 25 Years of Chasing Big Storms," USA Today (8-10-11); submitted by Van Morris, Mt. Washington, Kentucky.

 

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2011/august/4082911.html].

 

BODY

  • ME

    • Rowing up the Susquehanna River

        • Each year, for several years in a row, my three boys and I would go with Rick Runyan and his two boys for an adventure on the Susquehanna River

          • We would pack our camping and fishing supplies along with some canoes and kayaks and make our way upstream to one of the islands, north of City Island, that had a camp site on it

          • We would spend at least one night on the island, sometimes more

          • Our boys enjoyed hacking out paths through the thick underbrush on the island and usually at least one or more of them would wind up with poison ivy

          • We would cookout over an open fire and fish and kayak around the island

        • One of the years we went, there was a storm brewing when we set out from the boat ramp

          • Levi and I were in one of the canoes that was loaded down with equipment and supplies

          • We were paddling upstream, against the current with a strong wind blowing in our faces

          • It was all I could do to make headway upstream

          • What made it more difficult was the storm wind kept turning the front of the canoe around

          • Everyone else had made it to the island and Rick saw that we were struggling, so he kayaked back down stream to help

          • What we finally did was tie off the kayak to the back of the canoe and Rick and I hopped in the water and pulled the canoe the rest of the way to the island

          • Rick was our “savior!”

        • I was exhausted, wet, and frustrated by the time we got to the island, but a good night’s sleep helped a lot

 

  • WE

    • Storms in nature

        • How many of you have been in a hurricane?

        • How many have been close enough to see a tornado?

        • How about a Sharknado? ​​ (that’s for our younger crowd)

        • An earthquake?

        • Wildfires?

        • Tsunami?

    • Storms of life

        • These can come in many forms too

          • Bankruptcy

          • Health issues (high blood pressure, heart attack, diabetes, cancer, eye problems, back problems, mental health, anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, cutting, etc.)

          • Death of a loved one

          • Relational struggles (work, neighbors, family, church)

          • Divorce

          • School (you may be struggling with learning)

        • When we go through these difficult times it can seem pretty dark and we wonder if God or Jesus is there

 

The disciples went through a dark and lonely time. ​​ They were expecting Jesus to be there, but a storm came up on the Sea of Galilee. ​​ They were never out of Jesus’ sight even when they couldn’t see Him. ​​ He was there with them, but they had to invite Him into their storm. ​​ John wants us to understand that . . .

 

BIG IDEA – Peace comes when we invite Jesus into the storms of our lives.

 

Let’s pray

 

  • GOD (John 6:16-21)

    • Going Back (vv. 16-17a)

        • Evening came

          • John’s account

            • John makes it sound like Jesus went up on the mountain by Himself to avoid the crowd, who was trying to force Him to be their King

            • The disciples just made their way down to the lake (it almost sounds like they casually strolled down to the lake)

          • Matthew and Mark’s account

            • Their accounts make it sound like there is some urgency

            • The same Greek word is used in both accounts for “made”

            • Jesus is compelling them, driving them, persuading them, entreating them to get into the boat and cross to the other side of the sea

            • Matthew 14:22, Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd.

            • Mark 6:45, Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd.

            • The urgency comes in the fact that Jesus knew the intentions of the crowd – they wanted to make Him king by force

            • He was protecting His disciples from the attempt, by the crowd, to define His role here on earth

          • Once Jesus has taken care of the disciples, He turns to the crowd and dismisses them, before going up on the mountain to pray

        • Going back to Capernaum

          • John tells us that the disciples went down to the lake, got in a boat, and started to cross the lake on their way to Capernaum

          • It is probable that Capernaum was the mission center for Jesus in Galilee

            • Perhaps He and the disciples had just come from there when they crossed over to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (John 6:1)

            • Capernaum was on the northwest side of the Sea of Galilee

            • The disciples would have been rowing across the northern tip of the Sea of Galilee

        • The disciples are by themselves on the sea, while Jesus is on the mountainside praying and spending some time by Himself

    • Dark and Stormy (vv. 17b-18)

        • Dark

          • The disciples are on the sea and it’s dark

          • Perhaps they weren’t too concerned, because some of them were seasoned fishermen and had spent time on the water in the dark

          • The fact that Jesus had not yet joined them is more for the reader of the story than for the disciples who are part of the story

            • John knew the end of the story and gives us a note about the fact that Jesus had not yet come to them

            • “‘Not yet’ implies that he will come. ​​ This has to be the reader’s expectation, not that of the disciples. ​​ The writer assumes that his readers know (more or less) what will happen, just as earlier when he told them that Jesus knew what he was going to do (v. 6). ​​ Their impression is that Jesus will come. ​​ The only question is when.” ​​ [Michaels, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, The Gospel of John, 355]

          • The disciples can’t see what’s going to happen, because it’s dark

          • Application

            • “Maybe, like the disciples, you’re at a point in your life where it’s dark and you don’t sense the presence of the Lord at all.” ​​ [Courson, Jon Courson’s Application Commentary, New Testament, 483]

            • Examples

              • Perhaps you’re facing bankruptcy and you don’t sense the presence of the Lord in that dark time

              • Maybe you’ve just been diagnosed with some medical condition that has you feeling like it is a dark time in your life and you’re wondering if Jesus is real and if He is with you

              • Some of you may be dealing with a marriage relationship that is anything but loving, caring, and nurturing and you find yourself afraid, scared, frustrated, angry, and depressed (it’s a dark time in your life – where is Jesus?)

              • Anxiety and depression can overtake us when school assignments start piling up, when our children are sick, when relationships are strained, and for many other reasons (the darkness starts to envelope us and we struggle to understand where Jesus is in all of this)

              • As a church, we can look at the payroll tax debt, tight finances, and decline in attendance and allow it to take us to a dark place (we can feel like Jesus isn’t here)

            • Here’s hope!

              • As followers of Jesus Christ, we have the hope that Jesus is always with us

              • Hebrews 13:5-6, Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” ​​ So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. ​​ What can man do to me?”

              • Psalm 23:4, Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

              • Did you hear those promises from God, today?

                • God will never leave us or turn His back on us

                • He is aware of the dark things you are going through and is right there with you

                • He is there to comfort you

                • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Claim the promise that God is always with me, even during the dark times of my life.

              • You can take comfort in the fact that Jesus is coming to help with your situation, even though you may not sense His presence yet

          • The disciples are in the dark, and on top of that, a storm has come up on the sea

        • Storm

          • Storms or rough waters were not uncommon on the Sea of Galilee

          • They still experience these rough waters today, which require the modern powerboats to remain docked [Köstenberger, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, John, 204]

          • “The Sea of Galilee lies about six hundred feet below sea level. ​​ Cool air from the south-eastern tablelands can rush in to displace the warm moist air over the lake, churning up the water in a violent squall.” ​​ [Carson, The Pillar New Testament Commentary, The Gospel According to John, 275]

          • Jesus knew that the disciples were going to have to face rough waters

            • He compelled them to get into the boat and start out across the Sea of Galilee

            • They had experienced some pretty incredible miracles in the days leading up to this boat ride, and perhaps Jesus was helping them to not lose focus and faith in Him

            • When incredible things are happening, we can begin to rely in our own strength instead of focusing on Jesus

            • The dark times of our lives and the storms that come up should cause us to seek the face of God more earnestly and not to turn away from Him

            • “Jesus is not only the Savior in the storm but also the sender of the storm. ​​ And, just as He did with His disciples, He will send you into a storm knowingly and lovingly if He sees you’re about to get pulled into the mentality of the crowd.” ​​ [Courson, 483]

            • Remember, the crowd wanted to force Jesus to be their king – they wanted to define Jesus’ role on earth

          • We can look at the difficult situations in our lives as storms

            • Jesus may be knowingly and lovingly sending you into a storm to protect you from being pulled into the mentality of the crowd – one that is not healthy or biblical

            • He may be knowingly and lovingly sending you into a storm so your faith in Him will be strengthened and you will not become proud

            • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Thank the Lord for the storms of life He has knowingly and lovingly sent me into, so I will depend on Him and watch my faith grow.

        • What we see next is that the disciples were never out of Jesus’ view and He was with them

    • Jesus is Here (vv. 19-21)

        • The disciples location

          • The distance across the Sea of Galilee, at the northern part would have been around 5 miles

            • They had rowed about 3 to 3.5 miles by the time the wind began to blow and the waves became rough

            • They were more than half way across the Sea of Galilee when the storm came up

          • The disciples had been rowing since evening, probably before dark

            • Mark tells us that by evening they were already in the middle of the lake (Mark 6:47)

              • Matthew says they were a considerable distance from land (Matthew 14:24)

              • In both Matthew and Mark, “evening” means between 6:00 pm to the beginning of night

                • During Roman rule there were four watches of the night

                • Evening (6:00 to 9:00 pm)

                • Midnight (9:00 pm to 12:00 am)

                • Cock-crowing (12:00 am to 3:00 am)

                • Morning (3:00 am to 6:00 am)

                • So, the disciples perhaps started out at 6:00 pm and had rowed 3 to 3.5 miles by sometime between 9:00 pm and 12:00 am

              • The disciples were making good time until the wind started blowing and the waters got rough

              • That’s when their progress basically came to a complete halt

            • Matthew and Mark tell us that Jesus came to them about the fourth watch of the night, which is between 3-6 am, meaning that they were not gaining ground for about three hours

          • Jesus is aware of the struggle they are having to row against the rough waters

        • Jesus walks on the water

          • The disciples were never out of Jesus’ sight

            • Mark 6:47-48, When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. ​​ He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. ​​ About the fourth watch of the night he went out to them, walking on the lake.

            • I love this imagery here, Jesus saw the disciples

            • PRINCIPLE #1 – Jesus sees us in our storms of life.

              • If you are struggling financially (Jesus sees you)

              • In the middle of the negative medical diagnosis (Jesus sees you)

              • When you are struggling in your relationship with your spouse, family member, neighbor, coworker, boss, or fellow believer (Jesus sees you)

              • During the darkest times, when anxiety and depression are overtaking you (Jesus sees you)

              • Even when financial and relational difficulties surface in the church (Jesus sees us)

              • You and I can claim the promise today that Jesus sees us in our storms of life

            • Jesus didn’t just see them, though, He reacted

          • Jesus leaves the solid ground of the land and begins to walk to the disciple’s boat, on the water

            • PRINCIPLE #2 – Jesus is all-powerful (omnipotent)

              • The waves are rough, but that’s nothing for Jesus

              • He is able to walk on the water as if it solid ground

              • He has the power, through God, to override the physics associated with water

              • Individuals have tried to discount this miracle

                • Most of them believe that the disciples were rowing close to the shore line and Jesus was just walking along the shore line where they could see Him

                • “Did Jesus really walk on water? Or maybe he just surfed on a patch of ice. That's the conclusion of a 2006 scientific article published in everyone's favorite bedtime reading item—The Journal of Paleolimnology. The article was titled ‘Is There a Paleolimnological Explanation for 'Walking on Water' in the Sea of Galilee?’ Dr. Doron Nof, an expert in oceanography and limnology (the study of lakes), and his co-authors speculate that an odd combination of atmospheric conditions may cause rare patches of floating ice on the Sea of Galilee. According to their calculations, the chances of this floating ice phenomenon happening are less than once every thousand years. But those odds didn't deter them from questioning whether Jesus walked on water after all. Perhaps Jesus just surfed a patch of floating ice.

                  To be honest, I'm not sure which one would be more amazing. Surfing a piece of floating ice across the Sea of Galilee would take miraculous balance. And if those patches of ice appear only once every thousand years, it would take miraculous timing too. I'd love to see a high-definition, slow motion instant replay of either one—Jesus walking on water or surfing on ice. But Dr. Nof's theory may reveal more about the human psyche than the circumstances behind Jesus' miracle. We have a natural tendency to explain away what we cannot explain. And that's why most of us miss the miracle.”

                  Adapted from Mark Batterson, The Grave Robber (Baker Books, 2014), pp 174-175

                  [                  https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2014/june/8063014.html]

              • Jesus wasn’t walking along the shoreline and He wasn’t surfing on a patch of ice, He was miraculously walking on the water, because He is all-powerful!

          • The disciple’s reaction is fear

        • Disciple’s reaction

          • John tells us that the disciples were terrified

            • Matthew and Mark tell us that the disciples thought Jesus was a ghost, which made them terrified (Matthew 14:26; Mark 6:49)

            • They hadn’t seen anyone walking on the water before

            • There must have been a belief that ghosts floated above the ground, which would have made sense to them to see a figure “walking” on the water – a ghost!

          • They weren’t afraid of the rough waters, because many of them were fisherman and were accustomed to being on the water during a storm

        • Jesus’ response

          • Jesus identifies Himself to the disciples and encourages them not to be afraid

          • They were probably afraid, because it was dark and they did not, at first, recognize the figure coming across the water

          • We sometimes respond the same way to the miraculous

            • We’re afraid when dark times come our way

            • There is fear in experiencing the supernatural

            • There is fear in the unknown

            • There is fear in what cannot be explained through natural and human thought and experience

            • Jesus is saying the same thing to us today – “don’t be afraid. ​​ I am here!”

            • PRINCIPLE #3 – Jesus’ timing is perfect.

              • “In the midst of your own struggling and toiling, Jesus knows the perfect time to come to you and whisper in your ear, ‘It is I. ​​ Be not afraid.’ ​​ But it won’t be a minute too early, and it won’t be a moment too late.” ​​ [Courson, 483]

              • That truth is something you and I can hold on to while we’re going through the storms of life

              • Jesus is with us and will help at just the right time

              • We don’t have to be afraid

          • The disciples did something pretty important that would bring peace to their storm

        • Disciple’s response

          • When they knew that the figure walking on the water was Jesus, they willingly took Him into the boat

            • Notice that Jesus didn’t force His way onto the boat

            • He didn’t force His way into their storm

            • It wasn’t just enough for the disciples to see and recognize Jesus, they had to invite Him into the boat [Gangel, Holman New Testament Commentary, John, 121]

            • They had to invite Jesus into the difficult situation they were experiencing

            • The same is true for you and me

              • It’s not enough for us to know and recognize Jesus

              • We have to invite Him into the storms of our lives

              • Perhaps you’re experiencing a storm in your life, right now (financial, relational, health, mental, school, etc.)

              • Have you invited Jesus into your “boat,” into your “storm?”

              • Perhaps that is the step you need to take today

              • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Invite Jesus to come into the storm in my life.

          • Peace comes when we invite Jesus into the storms of our lives.

        • Miraculous arrival

          • John tells us that as soon as Jesus stepped into the boat it immediately reached its destination

          • “One can scarcely imagine, indeed, that after an act of power so magnificent and so kingly as Jesus walking on the waters he should have seated himself in the boat and the voyage have been laboriously continued by the stroke of the oar. ​​ At the moment Jesus set foot on the boat he communicated to it the force victorious over gravity and space, which had just been so strikingly displayed in his own person.” ​​ [Godet cited by Milne, The Bible Speaks Today, The Message of John, 108-109]

          • Matthew and Mark tell us that as soon as Jesus stepped into the boat the wind died down (Matthew 14:32; Mark 6:51) – there was peace on the sea

 

  • YOU

    • Claim the promise that God is always with you, even during the dark times of your life.

    • Thank the Lord for the storms of life He has knowingly and lovingly sent you into, so you will depend on Him and watch your faith grow.

    • Invite Jesus to come into the storm in your life.

  • WE

    • We can do the same things as a body of believers

    • We need to claim the promise that God is always with us, even during the dark times in our community

    • We need to thank the Lord for allowing us to go through the storms of life, so our faith and dependence on Him can grow

    • We need to invite Jesus to come into the current storm of financial and relational difficulties

 

CONCLUSION

“Mark Twain was accompanied by his wife on one of his visits to the Holy Land. They were staying in Tiberius on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. It was a moonlit night, and the weather was perfect, which gave Twain the romantic idea of taking his wife for a boat ride on the lake.

 

They walked down to the pier, and Twain inquired of a man sitting in a rowboat how much he would charge to row them out on the water. Twain was dressed in his usual white suit, white shoes, and white Texas hat. The oarsman, presuming him to be a wealthy rancher from the USA, said, ‘Well, I guess about twenty-five dollars.’ Mark Twain thanked him, and, as he turned away with his wife on his arm, he was heard to exclaim, ‘Now I know why Jesus walked!’”

 

Ward Williams, "Walking on Water," SermonNotes.com.

 

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2005/december/16245.html].

11

 

/by

Beyond Our Wildest Dreams

,

Believe

Beyond Our Wildest Dreams

(John 6:1-15)

 

INTRODUCTION

“You just never know how God might call you to serve him. For instance, in August of 2011 a 12-year-old boy named Gaelen from Vancouver Island, Canada, was hailed as a hero after he helped deliver his new baby brother. It all started when Gaelen's mother woke up in hard labor at 2 A.M. She had planned to deliver the baby in the hospital, but when the time came she couldn't even get out of bed. "I was already in the process of pushing," she said. ‘There was nothing I could do.’

 

Her cries for help woke her son who was sleeping in the next room. When he entered his mother's room, he said he could already see his baby brother's head.

 

Gaelen later reported, ‘I grabbed [the baby] by the shoulders and his head was resting on my wrists. Then I gently pulled him out and laid him on the bed.’ Gaelen then went to the kitchen to find some scissors, so he could cut and clamp the baby's umbilical cord.

 

The family made it to hospital about 45 minutes after the birth. Danielle Edwards and her new baby boy, her fifth child, stayed in the hospital until Sunday morning.

 

When asked how he knew how to do all of this, Gaelen nonchalantly replied, ‘I watch a bunch of medical [TV] shows.’ He also said that after this experience he is considering a career in medicine.”

 

Matt Woodley, managing editor, PreachingToday.com; source: CBC News, "Boy, 12, helps deliver baby brother" (8-22-11).

 

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2011/november/1112111.html].

 

BODY

  • ME

    • Compound Bow

        • We were living in Ohio and I was serving as State Director for CEF

        • I’ve been hunting with a shotgun or rifle since I was 12 years old, but I was interested in learning how to bow hunt

        • As a faith-based missionary, I knew that I couldn’t buy a compound bow on my own

        • One evening, while meeting with a local CEF board, we were sharing about our lives, just getting to know each other

        • I shared about being a hunter and wanting to learn how to bow hunt

        • One of the board members, whose house we were meeting in, said he had a compound bow with a case and a bunch of other accessories with it

        • He couldn’t use it anymore

        • Long story, short, he gave me his compound bow for free

        • That was beyond my wildest dreams

          • I still use that compound bow today

          • God provided something that I thought I would never have

 

  • WE

    • God’s provision

        • Take a moment to think about a time when God provided for you

        • When we’re struggling financially, God can and will provide just what we need

        • When we’re dealing with relational difficulties, God can and will provide the solution to our problem

        • Have you ever found a time when God’s provision for you has been inadequate?

        • Has there ever been a time when His provision has been late?

    • Faith

        • Many times our faith in God’s provision is weak

        • We may think the problem in front of us is too big for God to handle

        • We may think that what we have to offer Him, to help with the problem, is insufficient or insignificant

 

The feeding of the 5,000 is the only story that is shared in all four Gospels. ​​ It was a significant miracle that each Gospel writer did not forget. ​​ We will see through two disciple’s responses, to the problem, that there was not enough money to take care of the problem, and that what they did have was not sufficient to deal with the problem. ​​ The disciples already knew that Jesus could do the miraculous, but perhaps their faith was continuing to develop. ​​ What John wants us to understand today, through this passage is that . . .

 

BIG IDEA – Jesus, more than, satisfies our every need.

 

Let’s pray

 

  • GOD (John 6:1-15)

    • The Setting (vv. 1-4)

        • Some time after this

          • This is just another way for John to change to the next story about Jesus so that people will believe He is the Son of God and by believing they will have eternal life

          • It doesn’t carry a particular time frame with it (days, months, years, etc.)

        • Crossing the Sea of Galilee

          • Most of the time in Scripture, the far shore of the Sea of Galilee, is referring to the eastern shore (going from the Jewish side of the sea)

          • It is also referring to the fact that those traveling, to the far shore, are going from west to east across the Sea of Galilee

          • John gives us what was probably the modern name for the Sea at the time he was writing this Gospel

            • The Sea got the modern name from the city of Tiberius that was founded by Herod Antipas around 18-20 A.D.

            • The city was named after Antipas’ patron, Emperor Tiberius

            • The name of the city was then transferred to the sea

          • There are two other names for this Sea in Scripture

            • Lake of Gennesaret (Luke 5:1)

            • Sea of Kinnereth (Numbers 34:11)

              • This name comes from the Hebrew word, kinnôr, which means lyre (as in the musical instrument)

              • Many believed the sea was shaped like a lyre

          • We know then that this story is taking place on the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee

          • Jesus had been healing the sick on the western side, which obviously drew a large crowd

        • Following Jesus

          • This crowd that had been with Jesus on the western side of the Sea of Galilee were following Him, because of what they saw Him do with the sick

            • He had been doing miraculous signs on the sick, which most likely refers to healings

            • People were drawn to Jesus because of this

            • We could be really hard and critical of the people following Jesus

              • We could say that they were following Him for the wrong reasons

              • They simply wanted to be around Jesus for the “magic show” that He was doing with the sick

              • But, I want us to be cautious that we don’t do that

              • The miraculous signs that Jesus was doing were to draw people to Him, so He could share about the Kingdom of God with them

              • His intentions were genuine and true

              • John shared just a few of the miracles that Jesus did, so that his readers would believe that Jesus is the Son of God and by believing they would have life (John 20:30-31)

          • Jesus and His disciples had been ministering to crowds of people, non-stop

          • They needed some time to rest and connect

        • Rest and connection

          • Jesus went up on a mountainside

            • A specific mountain is not in view here

            • It is probably referring to the hill country on the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee

            • It is identified today as the Golan Heights

          • He sat down with His disciples

            • This was perhaps a time for Jesus and His disciples to take a breather

            • To catch up on all that had been happening

            • We know from Mark (6:6-12) and Luke’s (9:1-6) Gospels that the disciples had just returned from being sent out by Jesus to cure diseases, to heal people, to cast out demons, and to preach the Kingdom of God

            • Jesus knows the emotional and physical demands of ministering to people, so He wants to help His disciples get some rest

        • Jewish Passover Feast

          • John gives us a note about the Jewish Passover Feast being near

          • This helps us know that it was around April 13/14 that this miraculous feeding took place (spring time)

        • John has set the stage for us and now he shares the actual miracle story

    • The Miracle (vv. 5-13)

        • Great crowd coming

          • Jesus and His disciples had traveled by boat to the other side of the Sea of Galilee

          • Perhaps some of the crowd used boats to follow Him, but most of the crowd probably walked

            • Mark 6:32-33, So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. ​​ But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them.

            • They would have walked around the northern tip of the sea, which was a several mile walk

          • When Jesus looked up and saw the crowd coming, He asks Philip a question

        • Human solutions – hopelessness (vv. 5-9)

          • Philip – too big to solve

            • Jesus’ question – “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?”

              • I know what you’re thinking, “Poor Philip! ​​ Why did Jesus call Him out?”

              • Philip had grown up in nearby Bethsaida with Andrew and Peter

              • He would have been familiar with where the marketplaces were or perhaps the baker’s house

              • This question was simply a test, though

              • Jesus was probably trying to determine where Philip’s faith was and/or to gauge Philip’s understanding of who He was, as Messiah

              • Jesus wasn’t trying to gain just information, because He already knew what He was going to do about the need of the hungry followers

              • PRINCIPLE #1 – Jesus is all-knowing (omniscient)

                • Jesus already knew about the need before the crowd followed them around the Sea of Galilee

                • He already knew He was going to do a miracle to feed the hungry people

                • He already knew about the 5 loaves and 2 fishes

                • Application

                  • It should come as no surprise to you that Jesus already knew about the difficult situations you are going through, right now (finances, relationships, health)

                  • You can take comfort in the fact that Jesus already knows what He is going to do about your difficult situation

                  • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Claim the promise that Jesus knows what He is going to do about my difficult situation.

                  • Guess what? ​​ Jesus already knew about the payroll tax debt and the tight finances of Idaville Church

                  • He already knows what He’s going to do about both of these difficult situations in our church

                  • We can trust Him and claim the same promise, corporately

                • We’ll see this same principle, of Jesus being all-knowing, in verse 15

              • John then provides Philip’s answer to Jesus’ question

            • Philip’s answer

              • Philip had seen Jesus do miracles previously, so He knew Jesus had the power to do something miraculous in this situation

              • Philip’s response shows us that he is only able to think in the human, natural world

                • Philip must have been really good at math, because he looks at the crowd, estimates how many people are gathered, and calculates what it would cost to buy just enough bread for each person to have one bite

                • Then he tells Jesus, that it would take eight months’ wages to accomplish what He is asking

                • One denarius was the wages for a common laborer in the 1st Century, so 200 denarii would have been eight months wages

                • The disciples did have a purse of funds, that we later find out was handled by Judas Iscariot, but it didn’t contain 200 denarii

              • To Philip, the task seemed impossible, because he was looking at it from a human, natural perspective

                • He probably felt hopeless

                • You and I are guilty of doing the same thing – looking at our difficulties from a human, natural perspective and giving up because it seems impossible

                • We feel hopeless, discouraged, depressed, and alone

                • Our faith is probably pretty weak during those times

                • PRINCIPLE #2 – Even when our faith is weak, God wants to work in and through us.

                  • Philip’s faith was weak, because his focus was in the wrong place

                  • Our faith is weak, because our focus is in the wrong place

                  • We have to look to Jesus for His plan, His will, His purpose in the difficult times

                  • The first step in changing our focus is admitting that it’s in the wrong place

                  • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Admit to God that I have not been focusing on Him and seeking His solution to my difficult situation.

                  • God wants to work in and through us as we go through our current financial difficulties here at the church

                  • He wants to do the supernatural through us as we offer to Him the resources that we have, even if they seem insufficient

            • What we see next is another disciple offering a solution, but still struggling with his faith in what Jesus can do

          • Andrew – insufficient resources

            • Bringing people to Jesus

              • Andrew comes to Jesus, but he doesn’t come alone

              • This is Simon Peter’s brother, and if you remember from John 1:41, the first thing Andrew did, after he followed Jesus, was to go get his brother and tell him that they had found the Messiah, then he took him to Jesus

              • Andrew finds a boy with a small lunch and he brings him to Jesus

              • Andrew is known in the Scriptures for bringing people to Jesus – what a great role model for us!

            • The insufficient resources

              • Andrew explains what resources he found to deal with the problem of the hungry crowd

                • John makes it clear that the loaves were small – these were not large, long Italian loaves

                • They were small barley loaves

                  • Barley was the grain of the poor

                  • “Barley was common food for the poor, its ‘lower gluten content, low extraction rate, less desirable taste, and indigestibility’ rendering it ‘the staple of the poor in Roman times.’” ​​ [Köstenberger, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, John, 201]

                  • Wheat was reserved for those who were wealthier

                • The two fish were also small

                  • Again, these were not the large catfish that Alger Melton, CJ Armolt, Jim Toms, and Warren Baum catch in the Susquehanna River

                  • These were probably the size of the shiners that these guys use as bait to catch the catfish

                  • They were probably preserved by drying them

                • So, Andrew brings the boy with his small lunch to Jesus, but he adds his own commentary to the resources he has found

              • His faith is weak

                • “How far will they go among so many?”

                • We see again the weak faith of another disciple, who has seen Jesus do the miraculous in the past

                • That just leads us back to the second principle, PRINCIPLE #2 – Even when our faith is weak, God wants to work in and through us.

                • What happens to us is that we sometimes forget how God has worked miraculously in the past

                • We allow the size of the problem before us to cause us to have temporary amnesia

                • We have to stop starring at the huge problem in front of us and begin to look upon the face of Jesus

                • We need to change our focus and remember the miraculous things that Jesus has accomplished in our lives in the past

                • We have to remember that nothing is too hard for Jesus – no problem or difficulty is beyond His ability to deal with

          • What we see next in verses 10-13 is that Jesus does something beyond the wildest dreams of the disciples and the crowd

          • We’ll see that Jesus, more than, satisfies the needs of the hungry people

        • Supernatural solution (vv. 10-13)

          • Organized

            • We know that God is a God of order and not chaos

            • Jesus has the people sit down on the grass

              • Mark tells us that they sat in groups of hundreds and fifties (Mark 6:40)

              • That would certain make it easier to count how many people were there

              • We know that there were five thousand men in the crowd

              • Most scholars believe that the total count of men, women, and children could have been around ten to twenty thousand

            • The mention of grass, simply lets us know that it was still spring time and the hot summer sun and not yet scorched the grass

          • The miracle

            • Jesus took the “insufficient resources” gave thanks and started to distribute the bread and fish to the people who were sitting down

            • PRINCIPLE #3 – Jesus is all-powerful (omnipotent)

              • He is able to do anything

              • There is nothing that is too hard for Him

              • Nothing is impossible for Him

              • In fact, Jesus is able to take what we offer Him and do more with it than is humanly possible

                • What are you offering Jesus?

                  • Time, talent, resources

                • Are you holding back anything, because you think it’s insufficient?

                  • “I can’t do special music, because I feel like my singing voice is insufficient.” (offer it to Jesus!)

                  • “I can’t teach Sunday school, children’s church, or a discipleship group, because my teaching skills are insufficient.” (offer it to Jesus!)

                  • “I can’t give a tithe or offering, because I have insufficient funds due to being on a fixed income, or because I lost my job, or because I have more bills at the end of the month than I have money in the bank.” (offer what little you have to Jesus!)

                  • “I don’t feel like I have sufficient skills to visit people in their homes, greet worshipers on a Sunday morning, help as an usher, or man the Welcome Center.” ​​ (offer it to Jesus!)

                  • “I don’t have sufficient funds to give to the GROW Capital Campaign or to help with the tax debt or the tight finances at the church.” ​​ (offer what you have to Jesus!)

                • Jesus is able to take what you offer Him and do more with it than is humanly possible

                  • Jesus is looking for those who will step out in faith and trust Him to do the miraculous

                  • He can and will do something that is beyond our wildest dreams

            • Notice what each person received

          • More than enough

            • Philip had calculated what it would cost for each person to have one bite of bread (200 denarii, impossible!)

            • Jesus keeps distributing bread and fish to the hungry crowd until they had as much as they wanted

              • They ate until they were full

              • They ate until they were satisfied

            • Jesus, more than, satisfies our every need.

              • When everyone had had enough to eat, Jesus told the disciples to pick up the leftovers and not to waste anything

                • “It was customary at Jewish meals to collect what was left over. ​​ Pieces of bread were not to be thrown around (b. Ber. 50b), and food the size of an olive or larger must be picked up (b. Ber. 52b).” ​​ [Köstenberger, 202]

                • The reason they were to pick up the leftovers was so nothing would be wasted/perish

                • The only previous use of the verb “to be lost” is part of, probably, the most recognizable verse in the Bible, John 3:16, when it says he gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life [Michaels, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, The Gospel of John, 350]

                • Perhaps it is an allusion to what Jesus will be doing through His death, burial, and resurrection

                • It will be a visual reminder, in the disciples’ memory, about their role in evangelism after Jesus ascends to heaven (they’re supposed to gather followers of Jesus, so they won’t perish)

              • More than they started with

                • It’s amazing to me to see that after the disciples pick up the leftover barley bread that they had 12 baskets full

                • Jesus started with five small barley loaves, but His provision for this hungry crowd more than satisfies their needs by twelve-fold!

            • God’s provision for Idaville Church

              • We’re a body of believers that is facing what seems like insurmountable debt and financial struggles

              • But, I’m hopeful!!!

              • I’m trusting Jesus to do the miraculous and I know He will!

              • As we focus on Jesus, He is going to build our faith

              • As we offer Him our “insufficient resources,” He will do more with it than is humanly possible

              • I believe, in the end, He will also provide more than what we need, as we trust Him!

          • You can trust Jesus to do the same for you in whatever difficulty or problem you are facing

        • The crowd was starting to understand who Jesus was, but their understanding was flawed

    • The Withdraw (vv. 14-15)

        • As we’ve seen in John’s Gospel, the miraculous signs were done so that people would believe that Jesus is the Son of God and by believing they would have life

          • They had the beginnings of true belief, but it wasn’t that Jesus was the Messiah

          • The Samaritan woman began this same way, “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet.” ​​ (John 4:19)

          • The Jews were waiting for the fulfillment of the prophecy found in Deuteronomy 18:15-19

          • The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. ​​ You must listen to him. ​​ For this is what you asked the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, “Let us not hear the voice of the Lord our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die.” ​​ The Lord said to me: ​​ “What they say is good. ​​ I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him. ​​ If anyone does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name, I myself will call him to account.

          • Their understanding of Jesus’ purpose on earth was guided by their own personal desires to be free from Roman rule (natural instead of spiritual)

        • Forcing Jesus into our plans

          • The crowd wanted to force Jesus to be their earthly King

          • They wanted Him to be a political leader instead of a spiritual leader

          • Jesus knew their hearts, because He is all-knowing (omniscient)

            • He knew that their desires were selfish

            • PRINCIPLE #4 – We sometimes try to force Jesus into our plans instead of following His leading.

              • This is human nature, especially in the United States, where we are fiercely independent

              • We are told to make our own way

              • Success means having more than the next guy

              • We want Jesus to do for us what we want, instead of listening to His voice and His leading

              • “On our way back to Georgia from south Texas, my son and his family stopped in New Orleans. ​​ That city has one of the country’s oldest trolleys which carries visitors to the zoo. ​​ It looked like a great idea so the whole family – Mom, Dad, and two children – jumped on. ​​ Jeff assumed the role of sufficient and dependable leader. ​​ He watched his map, looked for landmarks, and told the family when to jump off the trolley. ​​ But as they rose to get off, the driver looked right at him and shook his head. ​​ ‘You’re going to the zoo, right?’ ​​ Jeff nodded and offered a feeble ‘Yes.’ ​​ ‘Next stop,’ said the driver. ​​ Sometimes we lean on our own maps and fail to consult the source of true authority about what we should do with our lives.” ​​ [Gangel, Holman New Testament Commentary, John, 120]

              • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Follow Jesus’ leading in my life and not try to force Him into my plans.

          • Jesus could not allow the crowd to determine and define His plan and purpose on earth, so He left the crowd and perhaps went further up the hillside to be alone

 

  • YOU

    • Claim the promise that Jesus knows what to do about my difficult situation

    • Admit to God that I have not been focusing on Him and seeking His solution to my difficult situation

    • Follow Jesus leading in my life and not try to force Him into my plans

 

  • WE

    • As a church we need to claim the promise that Jesus knows what to do about our financial difficulties

 

CONCLUSION

“Serving God with our little is the way to make it more; and we must never think that wasted with which God is honored or men are blest.”

 

Henrietta Mears in Dream Big: The Henrietta Mears Story. Christianity Today, Vol. 38, no. 13.

 

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/1996/april/1709.html].

13

 

/by

More Than Words

, ,

Believe

More Than Words

(John 5:31-47)

 

INTRODUCTION

“Major Osipovich, an air force pilot for the former USSR, planned to give a talk at his children's school about peace. But he would need time off during the day to give his talk, so he volunteered for night duty. And that's how Major Osipovich found himself patrolling the skies over the eastern regions of the Soviet Union on September 1, 1983 – the night Korean Air Lines Flight KE007 strayed into Soviet air space.

 

Soon the Soviet pilot was caught in a series of blunders and misinformation. In the end, Major Osipovich followed orders and shot down the unidentified aircraft. The actions of an air force major preparing to talk about peace plunged 240 passengers to their deaths and sparked an international incident that pushed world powers to a stand-off. Our talk is important. But our actions carry far more weight.”

 

Leadership, Vol. 15, no. 3.

 

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/1998/february/4250.html].

 

BODY

  • ME

    • Scheduling Levi’s driving test

        • Levi got his learner’s permit on his Birthday, which was the same day we were leaving for Ohio to spend time with Judy’s brother and his family

        • The agent at the DMV told us to go on to their website that day and register him for his driving test in 6 months

        • As you can imagine, I didn’t do it that day

        • In fact, I forgot to do for months

        • When Levi started asking me to help with it, I didn’t do it right away

        • When I finally got online to do it, there were not any dates available in January, which was his sixth month mark

        • In fact the earliest dates were in May

        • Saying I would help with that, but not doing something about it caused a lot of frustration for both of us

        • Fortunately, a friend encouraged him to check back every day to see if any earlier dates opened up

        • That was great advice – he was able to get a date in March

 

  • WE

    • Family

        • We have all probably done the same things or similar things with our family members

        • We’ve promised to help with a project, but have not done anything to move forward with that project

    • Work

        • We may be guilty of doing it at work also

        • We’ve promised to look into something or do something, but have neglected to take any action

 

The wording in John 5:31-47 gives us the idea of a court of law. ​​ Jesus has made the claim that He is God and now He is calling witnesses to back up His claim. ​​ He knows, that just His testimony about Himself, will not be sufficient for the Jews. ​​ Yet, Jesus will challenge the Jews with the fact that they are relying on just their own words for salvation. ​​ What John wants us to understand is that . . .

 

BIG IDEA – A transformed life is evidenced by more than just your testimony (words).

 

Let’s pray

 

  • GOD (John 5:31-47)

    • Divine Testimony (vv. 31-40)

        • Personal testimony (vv. 31-32)

          • Since Jesus was speaking to the Jews, He used something from Old Testament law that they would have been familiar with

            • Deuteronomy 17:6, On the testimony of two or three witnesses a man shall be put to death, but no one shall be put to death on the testimony of only one witness.

            • Deuteronomy 19:15, One witness is not enough to convict a man accused of any crime or offense he may have committed. ​​ A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.

            • The Jews knew about this Old Testament law and they expanded it to include judicial settings also [Burge, The NIV Application Commentary, John, 179]

            • This is not uncommon for us, even today, to want additional witnesses

              • Our hunting and fishing stories can sometimes seem extraordinary or unbelievable, but when a couple of friends who were with us can verify that it’s true, then people are more likely to believe us

              • Our shopping expeditions, where we got that incredible outfit for an unbelievable deal, can seem outrageous until a couple of other girlfriends, who were with us, verify that we got the outfit for that price

              • The age of cameras included in our cell phones has made it easier to verify that something, that seems unbelievable, actually happened

            • Jesus knew that His personal testimony, about Himself being God, was not going to be sufficient for the Jews – that was to unbelievable for them

          • Jesus’ testimony about Himself was not false, but He needed additional witnesses to verify what He was claiming

            • Jesus says that He has another person who can testify in His favor and He knows that testimony will validate His claim to deity

            • While Jesus doesn’t specifically say, that God is the other witness, most scholars agree He’s referring to God

          • He presents four witnesses to His claim of deity

        • John the Baptist (vv. 33-35)

          • They sent to John

            • The perfect tense of the verbs, “have sent” and “has testified” tells us that this was something that was firmly established as truth for the Jews [Carson, The Pillar New Testament Commentary, The Gospel According to John, 260]

            • John the Baptist was someone whom the Jews regarded highly as a prophet

            • He had testified about Jesus when the Jews questioned him about who he was

              • John 1:6-7, There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. ​​ He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe.

              • John 1:19, Now this was John’s testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was.

              • John 1:24-25, Now some Pharisees who had been sent questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”

              • They were seeking answers from John the Baptist and every time, John pointed them to Jesus

            • John’s testimony wasn’t for Jesus, but for the Jews

          • For the Jews benefit

            • Since they regarded John so highly and obviously didn’t regard Jesus very highly, Jesus uses John as His first witness

            • Jesus wasn’t after the approval of men for the ministry that God had given Him

            • Jesus is looking for common ground with the Jews

              • How can He prove that He is God

              • Jesus’ desire is that they believe in Him for salvation

              • So, He uses a human witness, that the Jews could connect with and believe, as a bridge for them to use to come to Him

            • Their belief in John didn’t last very long

          • They believed John for a while

            • John was a lamp

              • This metaphor is important, because Jesus is saying that John is not the light

                • A lamp has to be lit from a primary source

                • A lamp also can and will burn out eventually

                • The past tense of the verbs, describing John as a lamp, may mean that he had already died or was in prison at the time of John the Evangelist’s writing

              • “A lamp must be lit . . . Our witness will only be effective if God ignites it. ​​ That’s the reason we pray. ​​ A lamp provides guidance and direction; it’s not the destination. ​​ It’s not the center of attention. ​​ The lamp simply illuminates the way to something else; it serves a greater purpose. ​​ A lamp eventually burns out . . . John’s life and ministry served a purpose for a time, but it eventually ended. ​​ We only have a short time on this earth to impact people for Jesus.” ​​ [Carter & Wredberg, Christ-Centered Exposition: ​​ Exalting Jesus in John, 129]

              • Application

                • Has the Gospel of Jesus Christ transformed you?

                • Has God ignited the Gospel in you?

                • Are you committed to the Great Commission?

                • Jeremiah 20:9, But if I say, “I will not mention him or speak any more in his name,” his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. ​​ I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.”

                • Does that sound like you and the Gospel?

                  • When it comes to preaching and doing discipleship with a new believer, that’s exactly how I feel

                  • When it comes to sharing the Gospel with strangers, that is NOT how I feel

                  • Yet, we are commanded to make disciples

                  • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Ask the Lord to ignite the fire of His Gospel in my heart, so that I cannot hold it in.

                • We need to be a lamp that directs others to Jesus

              • John was that kind of lamp, and the Jews enjoyed his message for a while

            • Chose to enjoy his light for a time

              • When John was proclaiming that the Messiah was coming and that everyone needed to participate in the baptism of repentance, the Jews were delighted

              • The Jews were looking for the Messiah – they were waiting with anticipation for the Messiah to be revealed

              • Unfortunately, when John began pointing to Jesus as the Messiah, many of the religious leaders stopped believing his testimony and message

              • Jesus didn’t fit into their preconceived ideas about who the Messiah would be and what the Messiah’s purpose on earth would be

              • So, they rejected Jesus and His message, which is why Jesus is providing witnesses for them about His deity

          • Jesus’ second witness carries more weight than John the Baptist

        • Jesus’ own works (v. 36)

          • In the Greek the word “work” is in the plural – “works”

          • This certainly refers to the miracles and signs that Jesus performed while He was on earth

            • John 3:2, He [Nicodemus] came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

            • Acts 2:22, “Men of Israel, listen to this: ​​ Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know.”

          • It goes beyond just the signs and miracles, though, to Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection

            • All of the signs, wonders, and miracles that Jesus was given power to do on earth were not what saved people, but rather they were designed to draw people to Jesus

            • God’s greatest work through Jesus was the work of redemption

              • From the time of the fall with Adam and Eve, God was planning and preparing His work of redemption for all humanity

                • Galatians 4:4-5, But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.

                • Romans 5:6, 8, You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly . . . But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: ​​ While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

              • We’re all born sinners, separated from God because of our sin (Rom. 3:23; 6:23)

              • But God’s plan of redemption was fulfilled when Jesus willing died on the cross, taking our punishment for sin (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)

              • God accepted Jesus’ perfect sacrifice for our sins by allowing Him to come alive again – winning over sin and death

              • John 3:17-18, For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ​​ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

              • Jesus’ ascension into heaven triggered the pouring out of the Holy Spirit on all who believe in Jesus and are saved

              • This is the Gospel that should be burning in our hearts – that we can’t hold in

              • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Believe in Jesus and be saved.

          • Jesus’ own works proved that He was God, but Jesus doesn’t stop there – He has two more witnesses to His claim to deity

        • God the Father (vv. 37-38)

          • Jesus’ next witness is the Father

            • The Father is the One who sent Jesus in the first place

            • “Note how the rejection of Jesus is a “catch twenty-two” kind of problem. ​​ These denying Jews never grasped the Father’s testimony about Jesus because they refused Jesus’ testimony about the Father.” ​​ [Gangel, Holman New Testament Commentary, John, 105]

              • Here’s the irony

              • Jesus is God and speaks God’s Word, but the Jews don’t hear God’s voice through Jesus

                • The Israelites were afraid of God talking to them directly at Mount Sinai and asked Moses to speak to them himself (Exodus 20:18-19)

                • “Old Testament figures who heard the voice of God include Noah (Gen. 7:1-4), Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3), Moses (Exod. 3:4-4:17; 19:3-6, 9-13; 33:11), Samuel (1 Sam. 3:4, 6, 8, 11-14), and Elijah (1 Kings 19:13, 15-18).” ​​ [Köstenberger, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, John, 192]

                • The Jews weren’t discerning God’s voice through Scripture, as we’ll see in a moment

              • Jesus is God in the flesh, but the Jews don’t see God in Jesus

                • God’s form, through Jesus, was standing right in front of them, but they didn’t recognize or accept Him

                • “Abraham (Gen. 18:1-2), Jacob (Gen. 32:24-30), Moses (Exod. 33:11), and Isaiah (Isa. 6:1-5) all ‘saw’ the Lord in one sense or another.” ​​ [Köstenberger, 192]

                • The Jews didn’t hear God’s voice or see His form in Jesus, because God’s Word was not dwelling in them

              • God’s Word was not dwelling (abiding) in the Jews – it wasn’t taking root in their hearts and minds

                • Joshua 1:8-9, “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. ​​ Then you will be prosperous and successful. ​​ Have I not commanded you? ​​ Be strong and courageous. ​​ Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

                • Psalm 119:11, I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

                • Romans 10:8-9, But what does it say? ​​ “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: ​​ That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

                • None of these Scriptures were true of the Jews, that Jesus was addressing

          • Sure, they knew the Scriptures well enough, but only from an intellectual perspective (head) and not a spiritual perspective (heart)

        • Scriptures (vv. 39-40)

          • They diligently studied the Scriptures

            • It couldn’t be said of the Jews that they didn’t diligently study the Scriptures – their study of the Torah was legendary!

            • The only problem was the motivation behind why they studied so diligently

              • It wasn’t to discern who the Messiah would be or when and where He would come

              • It was simply so they would be accepted by God at the final judgment

              • They believed that if they diligently studied Scriptures, regardless of what they learned, that they would receive eternal life

              • PRINCIPLE #1 – Old Testament Scriptures point to Jesus

              • Road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35)

                • On the day of Jesus’ resurrection, He joined two disciples traveling from Jerusalem to Emmaus

                • He listened to all they had to say about Him and the events of the past several days

                • Jesus then shared with them these words, “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! ​​ Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” ​​ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself (Luke 24:25-27)

              • Reading a book for an assignment

                • How many of us have had an assignment in school that required us to read a book (novel or textbook)?

                • How many of us read the words without trying to comprehend the content, just so we could say that we completed the assignment?

                • Guilty as charged, right?

              • That seems to be what the Jews were doing with the Scriptures

                • They were saying to God, “I read the assignment You gave me to read – Your Scriptures. ​​ Now, can I have eternal life?”

                • They weren’t interested in really getting to know the God of the universe, or in discerning who the Messiah would be, so they would recognize Him when He came

                • How many of us, if we’re really honest, would say that we read God’s Word that same way?

                  • We take 5 or 10 minutes at the beginning of our day to read a devotional and then check that off our list

                  • We don’t really read to discern who Jesus is and what He desires of us

                  • We’re not meditating on God’s Word day and night

                  • We haven’t hidden God’s Word in our hearts (Scripture memorization)

                  • God’s Word isn’t really near us – in our mouths and in our hearts

                  • Reading God’s Word is just an exercise we do, in hopes that God will love us more

                  • “I don’t read God’s Word and pray, so that God will love me more. ​​ I read God’s Word and pray, because I love God.” ​​ [Presenter at FamilyLife Weekend to Remember]

                  • Reading and studying God’s Word without seeing Jesus on every page is missing the point

                  • We don’t read the Bible so that we will possess eternal life

                • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Commit to studying God’s Word, so I can learn more about Jesus and what He desires for me to do for Him.

                • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Register for the Secret Church 2: ​​ Survey of the New Testament study on September 6, 2019.

            • Jesus explains that, the very Scriptures the Jews so diligently study, testify about Him

          • The Scriptures testify about Me

            • “What is the primary purpose of Scriptures? ​​ Is it to record the history of God’s dealings with men? ​​ It does record such history, but that is not its primary function. ​​ Is it to reveal certain truths to men? ​​ Although it does reveal truths, this is not its primary function either. ​​ The primary purpose of Scriptures is to point men and women to Christ. ​​ (John, 2:407).” ​​ [Boice cited by Carter & Wredberg, 134-135]

            • The Jews were studying what we refer to as the Old Testament today

            • They especially studied the Torah, which is the first five books of our Old Testament (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy)

            • “An open heart and open eyes will produce an open mind – but we begin with an open Bible. ​​ Not superstitious reverence, but practical use.” ​​ [Gangel, 105]

            • When we approach Scripture that way, we won’t miss Jesus as the theme of every book in the Bible

          • Unfortunately, the Jews, that Jesus was addressing, had missed, that He was the Messiah, promised throughout their Scriptures

          • PRINCIPLE #2 – Jesus is the only way to have eternal life.

            • He came to give them life – eternal life – but they refused to come to Him

            • He has done the same for us

            • We have to believe in Jesus

            • Acts 16:31, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved . . .”

        • What we see in the final two sections of this passage is that Jesus goes on the offensive and becomes the prosecutor instead of the defendant – he reverses His role

    • Role reversal (vv. 41-47)

        • Self-focused, instead of God-focused (vv. 41-44)

          • Jesus’ desire is to only receive praise from the Father, so He doesn’t accept praise from men

          • PRINCIPLE #3 – God desires that His people seek His praise.

          • Jesus knew their hearts

            • He knew that what really motivated the Jewish religious leaders was power and prestige and not honoring and glorifying God

            • They were seeking the praise of men instead of God

            • We’re no different than the Jewish religious leaders

              • Whether at work or even within the church, we vie for position

              • We want to have influence so we can have things done the way we want them done

              • We are unwilling to change in order to reach the next generation with the Gospel of Jesus Christ

              • Our personal preferences, and finding favor with men is a higher priority than being obedient to God’s vision for us and His church

              • If we have the love of God in our hearts, then we will not struggle with seeking the praise of men over the praise of the only God

              • Because the Jews did not have the love of God in their hearts, they readily accepted the praise from one another instead of praise from God

              • It’s difficult as a spiritual leader to balance shepherding the current flock and reaching the future flock

            • The Jews would and did follow others, claiming to be the Messiah, because of the potential opportunity for advancement, recognition, and praise from men

              • “Jesus told them that another would come in His name and that they would receive that one. ​​ Subsequent historical accounts tell us that no less than sixty-three messianic claimants attracted followers. ​​ People followed them because their claims corresponded with the desires of men. ​​ They offered easy victory, political power, and material advantage. ​​ Christ offered the Cross” (Hughes, p. 112).” ​​ [Hughes cited by Gangel, 106]

              • In the age of technology where a preacher in one part of the country or even the world can reach billions of people, the pressures to compete can be enormous

              • In the document 114 Things You Need To Know About Revitalizing Churches, Thom Rainer makes this statement in the chapter about Facing Reality: ​​ “More church leaders are accepting and teaching unbiblical issues. ​​ Thus many churches are becoming more like the world and its culture.”

              • That’s what Jesus and His disciples were fighting against in the 1st Century and it’s what we’re continuing to fight against in the 21st Century

          • Focus in the wrong place

            • If their focus remained on the praise of one another, then they would not believe that Jesus is God and that He came to save them

            • They should have been seeking the praise of God

            • Romans 2:28-29, A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. ​​ No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. ​​ Such a man’s praise is not from men, but from God.

          • Jesus makes an amazing statement as He gives His closing argument in this spiritual court of law

        • Shocking accuser (vv. 45-47)

          • He will not be the One accusing them before the Father

          • Moses will be their accuser

            • This would have been an outrage to them, because they had been diligently studying the Scriptures, especially those written by Moses (the Torah)

            • “The reason why Moses would accuse them was that he, as the lawgiver, knew the law’s true purpose. ​​ Rather than being an end in itself, it served to point to Christ (Carson, 1991: ​​ 266).” ​​ [Köstenberger, 195]

          • All of it works together

            • The Jews had to believe everything or reject everything – there would be no middle ground, no straddling the fence

            • If they believed Moses, the Scriptures, God, and John the Baptist, then they had to believe in Jesus as God

            • Unfortunately, they were trying to separate Jesus from God, so they could continue to hold to their traditions and preconceived ideas of who the Messiah would be

            • “Readers are thus powerfully warned that institutional religious perspectives can in fact stand in the way of hearing the call of God and can lead to a fundamental rejection of recognizing God’s presence and activity in the sphere of humanity.” ​​ [Borchert, The New American Commentary, John 1-11, 248-49]

 

  • YOU

    • A transformed life is evidenced by more than just your testimony (words).

        • We can say we’re Christians, but is there fruit in our actions that prove it

        • Would others testify that they have seen a change in you as a result of your relationship with Jesus Christ

        • Or, would they say that you talk and act like the world when you’re not at church

        • The Jews claimed eternal life, because of their diligent study of the Scriptures, but they refused to believe in the only One who gives eternal life

        • Their words did not match their actions

    • Is the Gospel burning in your heart?

        • If it is, are you sharing it with others?

        • If it’s not burning in your heart, why?

  • WE

    • It’s not too late to begin sharing the Gospel with family, friends, and coworkers

    • It’s not too late to invite people to return to church – we don’t have to wait until National Back to Church Sunday on September 15, 2019

    • Jesus commissioned every believer to go and make disciples, baptizing them, and teaching them to obey everything He has commanded us

 

CONCLUSION

Burge in his commentary uses Karl Barth’s explanation how some people can know Scripture and use it in the wrong way.

 

“Karl Barth provides a harrowing description of this sickness in his famous 1919 commentary on Romans (see his remarks on Rom. 2). ​​ Barth thinks about people who live in a wilderness alongside a canal. The canal was there to bring them water and life, and it was with great effort and cost that the project was built for their place in time. ​​ Great sacrifices were made, and many died as the canal was cut through mountain and desert. ​​ But the great irony is that the canal has become dry, and while its walls still convey evidence of the coursing of water, there is nothing there that can give life to anyone. ​​ Nevertheless, the people continue to service it, to defend it, to name their children after its architects and engineers; but it is only an historic thing. ​​ A canal meant to convey something – water and life – now has become static, an end instead of a means. ​​ Something for the museum. ​​ People tell stories about it instead of drink from it. ​​ The older ones treasure the stories most; the younger ones have to be initiated deliberately; but each generation seems to lose a fraction of the true vision of the canal as time goes on. ​​ And no one has a memory of what water in the canal really looks like.

 

Barth’s warning to the Swiss and German church following World War I is a word we should heed today. ​​ The possibility always exists that my life, my church, my tradition, my denomination, even my Bible will become relics of religious curiosity instead of living instruments of God. ​​ Men and women will be ordained, earn Ph.D.’s, and launch magazines, publishing houses, colleges, and seminaries with solid evangelical commitments, and it will all be for nothing. ​​ Empty canals. ​​ There are specialists who can cite Scripture and verse, who can measure orthodoxy with exacting precision, who can identify the religious speck in someone’s eye from a great distance, but in whom love for God does not exist (5:42).

 

On a national level I have seen evangelicals unsheathe their religious swords over arcane doctrinal matters (‘But this is a slippery slope!’ ​​ ‘But this is where liberalism begins!’ ​​ ‘This is an agenda that must be exorcised!’). ​​ On a local level I have seen older church members viciously lash out because ‘the contemporary service’ isn’t to their liking or they perceive that their power and influence are diminishing. ​​ All of it, John 5 suggests, is empty religion, religion that seeks it is own glory. ​​ In the end, it is religion that would condemn and crucify Jesus as a religious duty.” ​​ [Burge, The NIV Application Commentary, John, 186-87]

12

 

/by

Not Another God

, ,

Believe

Not Another God

(John 5:16-30)

 

INTRODUCTION

Fidget spinners were pretty popular a couple of years ago. ​​ I remember Levi being on the lookout for new and different ones that he had never seen before. ​​ He had some pretty unique ones. ​​ One of them could link with his phone through Bluetooth and play music while it spun.

 

 

BODY

Jesus has just healed the invalid at the Pool of Bethesda and the man, who was healed, informed the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him on the Sabbath. ​​ This obviously got the attention of the Jews. ​​ What we’ll see today is that the Jews took offense to Jesus breaking the Sabbath code, but their hatred for Him goes even further when He claims equality with God.

 

Throughout John 5:16-30 we’ll see that Jesus defends His claim of being equal with God. ​​ This was difficult for the Jews to swallow, because they were monotheistic (believing in only one God). ​​ If Jesus was claiming to be equal with God that would mean there was more than one God. ​​ What they were struggling to understand is what John wants us to understand through this passage, that . . .

 

BIG IDEA – Jesus is God.

 

Jesus was not another God, He was God in the flesh.

 

We don’t see the introduction of the third part of the Trinity until Jesus’ ascension into heaven, when the Holy Spirit comes upon His disciples and they preach the Gospel, boldly, in Jerusalem.

 

Let’s pray

 

  • GOD (John 5:16-30)

    • The Claim (vv. 16-18)

        • Doing these things

          • John doesn’t tell us what things Jesus was doing, but it seems pretty clear that it was healing on the Sabbath and telling people to break the Sabbath codes

          • The tense of the verb “doing” is in the imperfect with an indicative mood

            • What that means is that Jesus had a regular pattern of healing on the Sabbath

            • At this point in John’s Gospel we only have the one instance of that happening with the invalid at the Pool of Bethesda

            • John tells us that Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples (John 20:30) and that Jesus did many other things as well (John 21:25), but he has not recorded them because the world could not hold the books that would be written

            • So, the Greek tense here, lets us know that Jesus had probably healed other people on the Sabbath – it was a regular part of His ministry

          • This pattern of behavior was what caused the Jews to persecute Him

        • Persecuted Him

          • The verb tense for “persecuted” is again imperfect with an indicative mood

            • Since Jesus’ pattern of behavior was to heal on the Sabbath, the Jews pattern of behavior was to persecute or pursue Him

            • They were constantly pursuing Jesus, probably in an effort to find some reason to kill Him

          • They didn’t have to wait long

        • Equal with God

          • God is always at His work

            • “About the end of the first century, four eminent rabbis (Rabban Gamaliel II, R. Joshua, R. Eleazar b. Azariah, and R. Akiba) discussed the point, and concluded that although God works constantly, he cannot rightly be charged with violating the Sabbath law, since (1) the entire universe is his domain (Is. 6:3), and therefore he never carries anything outside it; (2) otherwise put, God fills the whole world (Je. 23:24); and in any case (3) God lifts nothing to a height greater than his own stature (Exodus Rabbah 30:9; cf. Genesis Rabbah 11:10).” ​​ [Carson, The Pillar New Testament Commentary, The Gospel According To John, 247]

            • God works continually, because people die and children are born, righteous people need to be rewarded, and wicked people need to be punished [Michaels, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, The Gospel of John, 301]

            • All of those things happen on a Sabbath also

            • The problem was that the Jews misinterpreted the OT Sabbath command

          • I’m working too

            • “Jesus now adds that he, too, is working. ​​ He could have objected to the (inaccurate) Jewish interpretation of the OT Sabbath command that prohibited work normally done on the other six days of the week. ​​ These regulations (which referred to regular work) hardly applied to the man’s picking up his mat after a miraculous cure. ​​ But rather than taking this approach, Jesus places his own activity on the Sabbath plainly on the same level as that of God the Creator: ​​ If God is above Sabbath regulations, so is Jesus.” ​​ [Köstenberger, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, John, 185]

            • Helping others, being kind in our actions, healing, and other acts of benevolence would not be considered “work”

            • Another important point

              • Jesus is not saying that because God works on the Sabbath, that human beings should work on the Sabbath

              • He is trying to establish that He is God, so if He is truly God, then He’s able to work on the Sabbath also

              • All of the factors that are true of God would naturally be true of Jesus as God

            • PRINCIPLE #1 – Jesus and God are One.

              • We see this principle here in verse 17, but also in verses 19, 21, and 30

              • It’s what John wants us to understand from this passage – Jesus is God

              • The only reason that Jesus can say that He is able to work on the Sabbath is because He is God

            • That obviously doesn’t settle well with the Jews

          • The Jews’ want to kill Jesus

            • They want to kill Jesus for two reasons

              • He was breaking the Sabbath

              • He was making Himself equal with God

                • This was a problem for the Jews who were monotheistic (believing in only one God)

                • They believed that Jesus was either claiming to take the place of God or claiming to be an alternative to God [Borchert, The New American Commentary, John 1-11, 236]

                • Jesus was not claiming that He was taking God’s place or setting Himself up as another god

                • “What Jesus, as the One and Only Son of God (1:14, 18), claimed was to be sent by God, on mission for God, doing the works of God, obedient to God, and bringing glory to God.” ​​ [Borchert, 236]

                • Philippians 2:6-8, Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. ​​ And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross!

                • He was claiming that He and God are One!

        • Jesus then outlines for us, why He is able to make this claim

    • The Defense (vv. 19-23, 30)

        • Jesus surrounds His claim, of being God’s Son, with two statements that show His connection and dependence on God

          • In verse 19, He says, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees the Father doing.”

          • In verse 30 we read these words, By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.

          • These two statements are perfect bookends to his defense, that He and God are One

        • Jesus gives four reasons why He cannot do anything on His own, but only what He sees the Father doing

          • Each of the four reasons start with the Greek word gar (for, because) and we see them in vv. 19b, 20, 21, and 22

          • What we’ll see in the first two are generalized statements about the works of the Father and the Son, while the second two give us more specifics about those works

          • Whatever the Father does the Son also does

            • The 1st Century reader would have understood the idea of a son learning His father’s trade (as an apprentice)

            • This illustration is not a perfect fit for Jesus and God, because they are One

            • It does help us understand in human terms that Jesus was not doing anything on earth independently of the Father

              • In an apprenticeship, the Master is constantly watching over the work of the apprentice and checking his work, after he is finished, to make sure it meets the Master’s expectations for quality and craftsmanship

              • The purpose of an apprenticeship is for the Master to impart His knowledge and skill, about his trade, to the apprentice

              • When the apprentice does his work, it should look just like the Masters (in some cases, any regular person, would not be able to tell the difference between the work of the Master and the work of the apprentice)

            • Jesus, as God, would have accomplished each task perfectly

            • “It is impossible for the Son to take independent, self-determined action that would set him over against the Father as another God, for all the Son does is both coincident with and coextensive with all that the Father does. ​​ ‘Perfect Sonship involves perfect identity of will and action with the Father.’ (Westcott, 1. ​​ 189).” ​​ [Carson, 251]

            • The second reason why Jesus can only do what He sees the Father doing is because . . .

          • The Father loves the Son and shows him all he does

            • This is the basis for the Son’s dependence on the Father

            • In the 1st Century, where fathers passed their trade on to their sons, it was obviously because they loved their sons

            • They weren’t going to hold back a part of the trade from them, but rather show them every aspect of it

            • Out of His great love for the Son, the Father will show the Son even greater things than these

              • The reference to “these” is probably referring to the miracles that Jesus was enabled to do by God’s power (healing the government official’s son, healing the invalid at the Pool of Bethesda, and many other healings that took place on the Sabbath)

              • The “greater things” is perhaps referring to, giving life and judging, which are the next two “for/because” statements

            • The third reason why Jesus can only do what He sees the Father doing is because . . .

          • Just as the Father raises the dead and gives life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is please to give it

            • This is a perfect illustration of the principal truth that the Son does whatever the Father does

            • “Rabbi Johanan asserted that three keys remained in God’s hand and were not entrusted to representatives: ​​ the key of the rain (cf. Dt. 28:12), the key of the womb (cf. Gn. 30:22), and the key of the resurrection of the dead (cf. Ezk. 37:13, SB 1. ​​ 523-525, 737, 895).” ​​ [Carson, 253]

              • This is just another affirmation that Jesus is God

              • God was not entrusting the key of the resurrection of the dead to another person

            • The Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it

              • This phrase can make it sound like Jesus is separate from God in the ability to give life

              • Jesus is certainly not a robot

              • “He acts with a certain autonomy, doing what ‘he wants’ (thelei) with the limits of his mission as One ‘sent’ from the Father, and in the framework of his responsibility to obey the Father (see 4:34).” ​​ [Michaels, 312]

            • The fourth reason why Jesus can only do what He sees the Father doing is because . . .

          • The Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son

            • Here we see a transfer of responsibility to the Son

            • The judgment that is in view is the final judgment at the end of the age, which we’ll see in more detail in verses 28-29

            • The Son is not judging in a void, which is what we see in verse 30

              • This brings us full circle

              • As was already stated, Jesus surrounds His claim of being God’s Son with two statements that show His connection and dependence on God

              • Jesus is speaking in first person now, referring to Himself

              • He says that He can do nothing by Himself

              • He only judges as He hears

              • The whole purpose behind His just judgement is to please God – they have the same mind

            • The reason that the Father has entrusted judgment to the Son is that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father

              • This is a key truth that separates Christianity from all other religions of the world

              • The answer to the question, “What do you say about Jesus – who He is and why He came to earth?”

                • Every other religion of the world will minimalize and marginalize Jesus

                • They will say He was a good teacher, another prophet, just a man

                • They will refuse to acknowledge His deity

                • They will reject Him as the only way to the Father, as the Bread of Life, as Living Water, as the Way, the Truth, and the Life

                • They’ll say that they believe in God and that all roads lead to heaven

                • You believe that there is one God. ​​ Good! ​​ Even the demons believe that – and shudder (James 2:19)

                • All roads lead to God, but not all roads lead to heaven

                • Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:9-11)

              • Yet, here, Jesus makes it clear that if we don’t honor the Son we don’t honor the Father either

                • It’s more than just believing in God

                • It’s accepting Jesus Christ as His plan of salvation

                • It’s honoring God’s redemptive plan by believing in Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection

                • But, I’m getting ahead of myself

        • Jesus’ defense is complete, but now He expands on the two specific works that he mentioned in verses 21 (giving life) and 22 (judging justly)

    • The Gospel (vv. 24-27)

        • Jesus explains what every person needs to do in order to experience eternal life

          • Truly, truly (Amen, amen) is letting us know to pay attention – something important is being communicated

          • PRINCIPLE #2 – Eternal life comes through Jesus Christ.

          • Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life

            • Jesus word here is powerful

              • The healing of the government official’s son came by Jesus’ word (“You may go. ​​ Your son will live.”)

              • The healing of the invalid at the Pool of Bethesda came by Jesus’ word (“Get up! ​​ Pick up your mat and walk.”)

              • In both cases the men believed what Jesus said, His word

              • It was more than just hearing Jesus’ words spoken to them, but it took faith on their part to believe what He said

              • Hearing and believe are two important components of genuine obedience [Borchert, 239]

              • The same is true for you and me

                • Genuine obedience is not just hearing the Gospel message, but believing it

                • Read Romans 10:8-10, 13-17

                • We have to confess to God that we are sinners in need of His salvation

                • We have to repent of our sins and genuinely turn away from them, to God

                • We have tell God that we believe that Jesus died, was buried, and came alive again to take our punishment for sin

                • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ and believe in God’s redemptive plan, so I can experience eternal life.

            • We see the result of hearing Jesus’ word and believing in God

          • Result

            • It’s eternal life and not condemnation

            • We have crossed over from death to life

            • “The phrase he has crossed over appears in the perfect tense, meaning the actual crossing took place some time in the past, but the result continues to the present. ​​ In short, salvation is an accomplished fact and an assured position.” ​​ [Gangel, Holman New Testament Commentary, John, 102]

        • Jesus is here!

          • Truly, truly (Amen, amen) – pay attention!

          • A time is coming and has now come

            • Jesus is able to speak of a time that is coming, because He is God, He is eternal, and He knew about God’s redemptive plan (Jesus was there at creation, at the fall, and throughout all of human history)

            • The fact that Jesus was with these Jews face-to-face means that the time had now come for God to fulfill His redemptive plan through Jesus

          • When the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God

            • Jesus is not speaking about those who have physically died

            • When He says the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, He is talking about the spiritually dead (all of humanity)

            • The Jews, who are spiritually dead, are hearing Jesus’ voice

            • The question remains, “Will they hear, understand, and accept Jesus as God?”

            • If they do, they will live (have eternal life)

          • Verse 26 is really just a restatement of the truth found in verse 21, because the Father has life in Himself, the Son also has life in Himself (what is true of the Father is true of the Son, because Jesus is God)

        • Verse 27 is an transition verse from Jesus authority to give eternal life to His authority to judge at the end of time

    • The Eschatology (vv. 28-29)

        • Jesus tells His hearers not to be amazed that God has given Him the authority to judge

          • It would seem that amazement would not be their reaction to His statement

          • Rather, it would seem that outrage and anger would be their reaction

          • They are already wanting to kill Him, because He was claiming equality with God

          • Now He’s saying that God has given Him authority to judge, which was another characteristic that the Jews believed only God had the right to do

        • End times judgement

          • The judgement that Jesus is speaking about is not right then, but rather when He returns

            • 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, Listen, I tell you a mystery: ​​ We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed – in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. ​​ For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.

            • 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. ​​ After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. ​​ And so we will be with the Lord forever.

          • Everyone will come alive again and stand before Jesus as the righteous Judge

            • Those who have done good will rise to live

              • Don’t misunderstand what Jesus is saying here

              • He is not saying that we are saved by the good things we have done

              • The natural outpouring of a transformed life through the power of Jesus Christ is a desire to do good

              • Through the power of the Holy Spirit living in us we are able to do what Paul encourages the Philippian believers to do, do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. ​​ Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others (Philippians 2:3-4)

              • Jesus talks about final judgment in Matthew 25:31-46 and how whatever we have done to for one of the least of these brothers of His, we have done to Him (it’s another reminder of what Paul was saying)

                • Are you living selflessly with humility?

                • Are you considering others before yourself?

                • Are you looking also to the interests of others?

                • Are you helping the hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, sick, and imprisoned?

                • Doing all those things for God’s glory is evidence of a transformed life through the power of Jesus Christ

                • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Evaluate my life to make sure that I’m doing good for God’s glory and not my own.

              • Those who have been transformed by hearing Jesus’ words and believing in God will be raised to eternal life

            • Those who have done evil will rise to be condemned

              • The other group that is raised are those who have continued in their sinful state

              • They died without hearing Jesus’ words and believing in God

              • They continued is their state of sin even to the point of death

              • Their eternal fate is not life, but condemnation and eternal death – separation from God forever

              • Hell will be their home

 

  • YOU

    • We need to believe the foundational truth that Jesus is God!

        • Without that foundational truth your belief in God is nothing different than all other religions of the world

        • Jesus’ deity, His death, burial, and resurrection make all the difference

        • That’s what sets Christianity apart

        • That’s what determines your eternal destiny

    • Hearing Jesus’ words and believing in God transforms us into people who desire to do good for God’s glory

 

  • WE

    • A transformed life is what unifies us as a body of believers

    • The world is seeking a genuine body of believers who are like-minded, have the same love, and are one in spirit and purpose

    • We need to be that body of believers for the greater Idaville community

 

CONCLUSION

C.S. Lewis wrote:

 

“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish things that people often say about Him: ​​ ‘I am ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.’ ​​ That is one thing we must not say. ​​ A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. ​​ He would either be a lunatic – on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg – or else he would be the Devil of Hell. ​​ You must make your choice. ​​ Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: ​​ or else a madman or something worse. ​​ You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. ​​ But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher.” ​​ [Burge, The NIV Application Commentary, John, 185].

11

 

/by

Do You Want To Get Well?

,

Believe

Do You Want To Get Well?

(John 5:1-15)

 

INTRODUCTION

Lindsey O'Connor was in the midst of a two-month coma, brought on by complications from childbirth. Her family was told to expect brain damage and believed her death was only a matter of time.

 

Her husband Tim faced the possibility of a brain-damaged wife, and caring single-handedly for five children, including a newborn. Meanwhile, Lindsey lived in a shadowland of nightmares, awareness and utter frustration. She writes:

 

I remember Tim holding one of my hands, a neurologist the other, and telling me to squeeze their hands. Unable to do so or to speak, I felt my brain screaming, "Why can't I do this? Maybe I'm dying." Later, my inability to use the call button left me banging a spoon on the bedside table for an hour and a half. No one came. They thought it was the repetitive motor response of a brain-damaged woman.

 

Two weeks after the initial dance on the edge came a death vigil. As I lay dying, the respirator whirred, pumping air into my lifeless-looking body and then sucking it out. … My limbs were blue and as cold as refrigerated meat. It did not look like I had any upper-level brain function. I was expected to die before morning.

 

I later learned that 40 or more friends and relatives stood vigil in the waiting room. … Susan, one of my best friends, looked at my gray, barely recognizable body and said, "Death is ugly, isn't it?" … My dad touched my feet and said, "I taught these feet how to walk." He agreed with Tim as he made end-of-life decisions.

 

Tim anguished over what to do, issuing conditional Do Not Resuscitate orders and rescinding them repeatedly. Then one day, Lindsey woke up. It was weeks before she could speak, but she was going to live.

 

I went into the hospital on August 30, 2002, and came home just before Christmas, still unable to walk or breathe on my own. In spite of daily physical effects of the trauma, I've learned that radical obedience (in my case, having a baby at 40) is worth any cost, that prayer is inconceivably important, that miracles still happen, and that I have a faith worth dying for.

 

Lindsey O'Connor, "While I Was Sleeping," Christianity Today (February 2004), p. 44

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2004/february/14822.html].

 

Lindsey’s story reminds us that she wanted to get well! ​​ She was aware of her surroundings, but frustrated by her inability to communicate what she was feeling and experiencing.

 

BODY

  • ME

    • Shoulder injury

        • I was wrestling with Wade and Seth on the floor

        • I had one of them over my shoulder when I felt them falling, so I grabbed them tight to stop them from falling on their head

        • It injured my rotator cuff and I experienced pain for months

        • I was to the point where if the pain didn’t stop, the doctor was recommending cortisone injections

        • I don’t particularly like needles, so I was hoping to avoid any injections

        • Through prayer and God’s healing power, my shoulder improved and eventually was completely healed

 

  • WE

    • Healings in the church

        • There are individuals in the church who have experienced the supernatural healing power of God

        • Some of those individuals had been struggling with their ailments for years, believing they would have to live with incessant pain for the rest of their lives

        • They were resigned to the fact that they would never be pain free or would never be able to do what they once did in the past

        • Prayer, laying on of hands, and anointing with oil, were the faith steps these individuals took to experience the healing power of Jesus Christ in their lives

    • Differing beliefs about healing today

        • There are groups and individuals who believe that God does not supernaturally heal today

        • There are others who believe that the reason some people don’t experience healing is because they don’t have enough faith

        • God is still in the business of healing people today and it’s not based on how much or little faith we have

        • We’ll see today that Jesus took the initiative in healing one man

        • We know from Scripture that God’s will is for everyone to be healed – to be made whole

 

John shares a story about Jesus healing an invalid. ​​ That’s what we will be looking at today in John 5:1-15. ​​ But the story he tells is the catalyst that he uses to help the Jews understand that Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath. ​​ That’s what we’ll see over the next couple of messages. ​​ John wants us to understand today that . . .

 

BIG IDEA – Jesus is concerned about our physical and spiritual healing.

 

Let’s pray

 

  • GOD (John 5:1-15)

    • Setting the stage (vv. 1-4)

        • Some time later

          • This is John’s way of telling his readers that this is the next thing he wants to tell them

          • Remember, John is not sharing events in a chronological order

          • His stories are to help people believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, so his stories jump around the entire region

            • The story of the Government Official’s Son took place in Cana in Galilee (up north)

            • Jesus heals the invalid at the Pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem (down south)

            • The feeding of the Five Thousand (chapter 6) takes place back in Galilee (up north)

          • The time between the healing of the Government Official’s son and the healing of the invalid in Jerusalem is not able to be determined – it’s an indefinite period of time

        • Feast of the Jews

          • We also can’t determine what feast of the Jews John is referring to here

          • All of chapter 5 is really focusing on the Sabbath

          • “According to that text (Leviticus 23), festivals are holy convocations. ​​ The first day of Passover accordingly is a holy convocation in which no labor is to be done (Lev 23:7). ​​ It is in fact a Sabbath, according to the perspective of Leviticus.” ​​ [Borchert, The New American Commentary, John 1-11, 230]

          • So, John could simply be referring to the Sabbath when he says that Jesus went up to Jerusalem for a feast of the Jews – we just don’t know from the text

        • Pool of Bethesda

          • The Sheep Gate

            • It was on the north-eastern side of Jerusalem [show map]

            • It was located close to the Temple area

            • This would have been the gate where the sheep, used for sacrifice, would have been brought into the city [show picture of sheep gate]

            • The sheep were perhaps washed in the pools of Bethesda, as ceremonial cleansing prior to being sacrificed

          • Bethesda

            • “‘Bethesda’ in Aramaic may mean ‘house of (divine) mercy’ (which would be a fitting term, given the desperate state of the people lying there in hope of miraculous healing), ‘house of the two springs,’ or be derived from the root ‘pour out’ or ‘slope.’” ​​ [Köstenberger, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, John, 178]

            • There are three other variations on the name of the pool from other manuscripts (Bethzatha, Belzetha, and Bethsaida)

          • Five covered colonnades

            • From excavations we know there were two pools side-by-side during the time of Jesus

            • One colonnade (covered portico) went between the two pools and the other four colonnades surrounded the two pools

          • Show the video “Experience the Pool of Bethesda” [https://www.rightnowmedia.org/Content/VideoElement/231108]

          • Gathering place for the disabled

            • It appears as though a whole bunch of sick/disabled people would be brought to the pool each morning or perhaps they remained by the pool all the time

            • Their sickness or disabilities are described as:

              • The blind – those who couldn’t see

              • The lame – deprived of a foot or maimed, unable to walk without some kind of assistance or difficulty

              • The paralyzed/withered – “of members of the body deprived of their natural juices, shrunk, wasted, withered” [https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G3584&t=NASB]; “dry, withered, disabled w. atrophied limbs, a wasting disease” ​​ [Rogers & Rogers, The New Linguistic and Exegetical Key to the Greek New Testament, 192] – they would not be able to walk at all

        • John has set the stage for the story he wants to share with his readers – Jesus is in Jerusalem at the Pool of Bethesda, surrounded by disabled people, but His attention is drawn to one man

    • Physical healing (vv. 5-9a)

        • The man

          • He was an invalid, which is not a term used to describe the disabled at the pool, but we know from verse 7 that he doesn’t have anyone to help him into the pool

          • So, we can discern that he is either lame or paralyzed

          • He has suffered with this condition for 38 years, so this is not some fake condition he has contrived just to meet Jesus

          • “He’s not faking it. ​​ Jesus is now in his early thirties – probably thirty-one or thirty-two. ​​ For this to have been fake, the man would have had to plan it six years before Jesus was born.” ​​ [Carter & Wredberg, Christ-Centered Exposition: ​​ Exalting Jesus in John, 116]

          • We’ll see in verses 12 and 13 that the man who was healed had no idea who healed him, when confronted by the Jews

        • The healing

          • Jesus saw this man

            • This is an important insight

            • This man most likely begged for alms in order to sustain himself

            • Potentially he was dirty and covered in his own filth

            • First century Jews probably made it a point to avoid the Pool of Bethesda, because of the clientele that hung out there – they didn’t want to become ceremonial unclean

            • Yet, Jesus sought this man out – he “saw” him

            • Bank teller story (Stuart)

              • I worked as a teller in a bank in Florida, right out of college

              • There were homeless people who lived in tents in the woods behind the bank

              • One man would sell newspapers each morning in the center of the road right outside the bank

              • After the morning rush, he would come into the bank with a wad of cash that he had been keeping in a nail apron around his waist

              • As you can imagine, the money was soaked and wet with his sweat

              • Most of the other tellers wouldn’t want to help him, because of the “laundered” cash (it was sweaty wet)

              • I would purposely help him to exchange his small bills for larger ones

              • That meant I had to lay all this cash out to dry before I put it in my drawer

              • I wanted this man to know that he was loved and that someone saw him

            • Do we see those in our community who are marginalized by the rest of the culture?

              • Perhaps they are homeless

              • Maybe they struggle with some kind of disability

              • The challenge this morning is to let them know that you see them, that they are loved

              • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Intentionally reach out to someone in my community or neighborhood who is struggling with physical, emotional, or financial issues.

              • Jesus intentionally sought this man out

                • He was following the divine sovereign will of His Father, God

                • We see this time and time again in the Gospels

                • He goes through Samaria, when every other Jew went around it, because He had an divine appointment with a Samaritan woman

                • He sought out Zacchaeus, even though, as a tax collector, he was hated and marginalized by those in his community

                • The list could go on and on

            • Jesus not only saw this man, but he took time to learn about him

          • Jesus learned about the length of his condition

            • The Greek word for “learned’ or “realized” can mean either through supernatural knowledge or from diligent inquiry or investigation [Carson, 243; Köstenberger, 180]

            • Perhaps God told Jesus how long this man had suffered as an invalid

            • Equally as possible, is that Jesus found out by talking with the man when he asked Him for alms

            • When Jesus realized the extent of this man’s condition, He asks him a question

          • “Do you want to get well?”

            • PRINCIPLE #1 – Jesus is able to heal anyone, regardless of how long they’ve suffered with their condition

            • We may look at that question as a silly question

              • If the man didn’t want to get well, then why was at the Pool of Bethesda in the first place

              • His purpose in being there was to experience healing – to be made whole

              • Jesus’ question wasn’t designed to be a silly question, but rather to reveal where this man was placing his hope and trust for healing

              • His hope was centered around two things

                • Human help

                  • He didn’t have the help of friends like the paralyzed man who was lowered through the roof that Matthew, Mark, and Luke tells us about (Matt. 9:1-8; Mark 2:1-12; Luke 5:17-26)

                  • No one, means “no man,” to help him into the pool

                  • We can feel that way while we’re struggling with our own disabilities – “There’s no one to help!”

                  • Yet, Jesus is right there with us

                  • He sees us and knows all about our condition, our circumstances

                • A pool of water that was periodically stirred

                  • Some later manuscripts have John 5:3b-4, but most early manuscripts do not have this text

                  • Most scholars believe it came from a scribe’s notes written in the margin to help explain what this man says in verse 7

                  • And they waited for the moving of the waters. ​​ From time to time an angel of the Lord would come down and stir up the waters. ​​ The first one into the pool after each such disturbance would be cured of whatever disease he had.

                  • These two pools were probably fed by natural springs that bubbled up when an abundance of water came through the springs

                  • It would push the water up into the pools causing the water to “stir”

              • Obviously, it was fairly early in Jesus’ ministry and therefore, he was not yet recognized everywhere He went

                • This man did not recognize who Jesus was

                • He didn’t know Jesus was the Son of God and had the ability to heal him through God’s power

                • He told the Jews that he didn’t know who had healed him

                • Had he realized who was asking him if he wanted to get well, he would have said “Yes,” without hesitation

                • Individuals who sought Jesus out for healing

                  • The government official knew who Jesus was, which is why he sought Him out to heal his son (John 4:46-54)

                  • Blind Bartimaeus knew who Jesus was and begged Him to have mercy on him (Mark 10:46-52)

                  • Jairus, the synagogue leader, and the woman with the blood issue knew who Jesus was and His ability to heal them (Luke 8:40-56), which is why they sought Him out

                  • All of them knew what this man didn’t know

                  • PRINCIPLE #2 – Jesus is all we need, to experience healing!

                  • We don’t need a pool of water, the help of friends, anointing oil, or anything else to experience the healing power of Jesus

                  • We do need to believe that it’s God’s will for us to be healed

                  • We do need to make sure we’re not harboring unconfessed sin, wrong heart attitudes, or doubt

                  • We need to practice the prayer of faith that James tells us about

                  • Is any one of you sick? ​​ He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. ​​ And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. ​​ If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. ​​ (James 5:14-15)

            • Who or what are you relying on for your healing?

              • Perhaps you’re dealing with some kind of illness or disease

              • You’ve been praying and asking God to heal you, but His healing hasn’t manifested itself in your body yet

              • Perhaps you’re placing your hope and trust in something other than Jesus – maybe a human being or a “pool of water” (whatever form that may take in your life)

              • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Put my hope and trust in Jesus alone for healing.

                • The leadership is ready to pray a prayer of faith over you and anoint you with oil in the name of the Lord

                • You have to answer “Yes” to Jesus’ question today, “Do you want to get well?”

                • At the end of the message today, I’m going to give you an opportunity to come forward if you’re ready to say “Yes!”

            • Jesus knew the heart of this man, so He gave him a command

          • Jesus command

            • “Get up! ​​ Pick up your mat and walk.”

            • The man does not hesitate, but immediately obeys

            • His obedience showed that he put his hope and trust in Jesus alone to heal him

            • John tells us that he was cured immediately

            • His healing was a full healing

              • It wasn’t partial or gradual

              • PRINCIPLE #3 – Jesus’ healing is complete and thorough.

              • This man had not walked in 38 years

              • The muscles in his legs would have been atrophied, long ago – too weak to carry his body weight

              • But, we see that he picks up his mat and walks

        • While this man was probably rejoicing in his ability to walk after 38 years, his joy was cut short on his way home

    • People over policies (vv. 9b-13)

        • John gives us the side note that Jesus healed this man on the Sabbath

        • The Jews’ reprimand

          • We don’t know if the Jews were part of the crowd at the Pool of Bethesda or whether they just saw this man walking home from the pool with his mat under his arm (it’s probably the latter)

          • We don’t know if they knew him as one of the disabled people from the Pool of Bethesda

          • All we know is that they were on duty as the policy police

            • It was probably a self-appointed position

            • They were zealous for the law and the additional rules that the religious leaders had established to define and protect them from inadvertently breaking one of the laws

              • This is what the Lord says: ​​ Be careful not to carry a load on the Sabbath day or bring it through the gates of Jerusalem. ​​ Do not bring a load out of your houses or do any work on the Sabbath, but keep the Sabbath day holy, as I commanded your forefathers. ​​ (Jeremiah 17:21-22)

              • “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.” ​​ (Exodus 20:8) ​​ [the fourth commandment]

            • The man had not actually broken any of the biblical Sabbath regulations as outlined in Exod. 31:12-17, Jeremiah 17:21-27, and Nehemiah 13:15-19

              • He had violated one of the 39 codes that had been established to define the law about the Sabbath

              • “Whoever on the Sabbath brings anything in or takes anything out from a public place to a private one, if he has done this inadvertently, he shall sacrifice for his sins; but if willingly, he shall be cut off and shall be stoned.” ​​ (m. Šabb. 7.2) ​​ [quote from Gangel, Holman New Testament Commentary, John, 98; reference from Köstenberger, 181]

          • All the Jews saw was the man breaking the Sabbath code, but he had a defense for his actions

        • The man’s defense

          • If the Jews didn’t already recognize this man as one of the disabled people from the Pool of Bethesda, they now knew that he was once an invalid, unable to walk

          • The man tells them that the person who healed him told him to pick up his mat and walk

          • He obviously thought that Jesus had some authority to command him to do this

          • The man who was healed was also a Jew and probably knew the Sabbath codes, but the man who healed him perhaps had the authority to override the Sabbath code

          • So, that is the defense he uses when confronted by the Jews (religious leaders)

        • The Jews’ rebuttal

          • If these Jews were the religious leaders with religious authority, then they obviously wanted to know who healed this man and told him to break the Sabbath code

          • So, they ask him to give them the name of the fellow who told him to do this

        • The man’s response

          • The man who was healed had no idea who had healed him

          • Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there

        • What is our focus – people or policies, love or rules?

          • It’s easy for us to get caught up in black and white rules, and neglect loving people

            • I struggle with that when it comes to certain things

            • What I see so clearly as black and white, others see as gray

            • Sometimes in my own heart I judge and look down on those who don’t see it the same way I do

            • I have to ask the Lord to help me love them more than my black and white understanding of the issue

            • He has faithfully answered that prayer for me on multiple occasions

            • It helps in maintaining relationships instead of straining relationships

            • “The pharisaical legalism pictured in the parable of the good Samaritan is alive and well. As a result, a 15-year-old African-American boy in Chicago is not.

              On a warm spring evening in May 1998, Christopher Sercy was playing basketball with a few friends half a block from Ravenswood Hospital. Three teenage Latino gang members looking for a black target approached and shot young Sercy in the abdomen. His frantic friends carried him to within 30 feet of the hospital and ran inside for help. The emergency room personnel refused to go outside to assist the dying boy, citing a policy that only allows them to help those who are inside the hospital. The boys called for nearby police to attend their wounded friend. When the officers arrived on the scene they proceeded to call for an ambulance, but refused to carry the boy inside. While passersby pled with the officers to get the boy into the hospital, he lay in a pool of blood unconscious. When, after several minutes, the ambulance had not yet arrived, the police gave in and carried Sercy into the emergency room. By then, nothing could be done to save his life.

              As is often true, when we legalistically insist on the letter of the law, the needs of others are overlooked. By holding to standard operating procedures, the "royal law of love" was pinned to the mat. Initially, hospital administration vehemently defended their ER's lack of involvement. Only after a barrage of community outrage did Ravenswood Hospital reverse its policy of treating only those inside its doors.

              It was Jesus who observed "Woe to you teachers of the law, you hypocrites. You give a tenth ... but you have neglected the more important matters of the law--justice, mercy, and faithfulness." (Matthew 23:23)”

              Greg Asimakoupoulos. From the files of Leadership.

              [              https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/1998/august/5301.html]

          • It’s also easy for us to add rules and policies to God’s commands in an effort to protect ourselves from inadvertently breaking one of His commands

          • Many times those additional rules and policies cause us to judge instead of love those around us

          • It’s always best to stick with God’s commands found in His Word

          • PRINCIPLE #4 – God desires for His people to love others more than man made rules and policies.

        • John explains that Jesus sought this man out one more time – He took the initiative with this man’s spiritual state also

    • Spiritual healing (vv. 14-15)

        • The man’s spiritual state

          • With the government official from last week, we realize that Jesus’ healing power also brought about spiritual healing for he and his whole family (John 4:53b)

          • With the healing of the paralytic who had been let down through the roof, we see the combination of spiritual and physical healing at the same time – “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.” (Matt. 9:2b). ​​ “Which is easier: ​​ to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? ​​ But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins … .” ​​ Then he said to the paralytic, “Get up, take your mat and go home.” ​​ (Matt. 9:5-6)

          • With this man, the physical healing happened, but the spiritual healing had not yet taken place

            • Jesus reminds the man that he had been made well through a supernatural healing from God

            • He then encourages him to stop sinning or something worse may happen to him

              • Most commentators agree that Jesus is not saying that if the man continues to sin that he will contract some physical disease or disability that is worse than what he had previously

              • “The man’s sin and his condition are linked. ​​ Scripture indicates that some tragedies may be the result of specific sins (1 Cor. 11:30), and this may be why Jesus has chosen the man for healing. ​​ There were two levels at which God needed to work in him (cf. Mark 2:1-12). ​​ But those with an infirmity have not necessarily sinned, and those who sin do not necessarily endure suffering as a consequence. ​​ Luke 13:1-5 and John 9:3 provide Jesus’ correction of that sort of thinking.” ​​ [Burge, The NIV Application Commentary, John, 175]

              • The “something worse” that will happen to him is not physical, but spiritual – Jesus is probably referring to judgement at the end of time

              • He would be eternally separated from Jesus, because of his sin

            • While Jesus doesn’t state the question again, it certainly could be inserted here – “Do you want to get well?” (spiritually)

          • That’s the same question Jesus is asking us today

            • “Do we want to get well, spiritually?”

            • Born with sin (Rom. 3:23)

            • Punishment for sin (Rom. 6:23)

            • God’s desire for us (Rom. 5:8)

            • God’s plan to redeem (1 Cor. 15:3b-4)

            • Our response, That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ​​ For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. ​​ (Rom. 10:9-10)

            • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Tell Jesus that I want to get well, spiritually.

          • We see the man’s response

        • The man’s response

          • Throughout this story the man does not express gratitude or thanks for Jesus healing him

          • He doesn’t express belief in Jesus

          • He doesn’t agree to stop sinning

          • All we know is that he went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him

          • Later in John’s Gospel we see Jews that had come to visit Mary and Martha after Lazarus passed away

            • They witnessed first-hand Jesus’ power in raising Lazarus from the dead

            • Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, put their faith in him. ​​ But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. ​​ (John 11:45-46)

            • “Those who were not believers became informants, and their information led to the Sanhedrin’s decision that Jesus must die (see (11:47-53).” ​​ [Michaels, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, The Gospel of John, 299]

          • It would appear as though this man became an informant instead of a believer in Jesus

 

  • YOU

    • Do you want to get well, physically?

    • Do you want to get well, spiritually?

 

  • WE

    •  

 

CONCLUSION

.

13

 

/by

Returning to the Scene of the Wine

,

RETURNING TO THE SCENE OF THE WINE

I want you to think about the one or two places that have meant a lot to you during your life. ​​ Places that evoke fond memories for you. Where would those places be and why?

When I think about a place that evokes fond memories for me, one of those would be Cape Cod, Massachusetts. That was where Judy and I honeymooned 31 years ago. Over the years we have traveled back there and spent many anniversaries there. Why? Because of the good memories of that time and those places we visited in April of 1988. ​​ 

Another place that evokes memories for me is Staunton, VA. Now honestly the memories I have of Staunton are not all that fond for me. But they did help to mold and form me into the person I am today. It took me about 40 years to want to revisit there but over the past decade I have learned to appreciate those memories. The reason Staunton is on this list is because Judy and I have made new memories there together. We now visit Staunton at least once a year and every once in a while I will still show her the elementary school I went to and the house I lived in for a brief period of time. It has become one of the places that we like to visit again and again. ​​ 

Now that you have had time to think of the places that have meant a lot to you over the years. Do you find yourself visiting those places over and over again? Maybe it is the same vacation spot every year. Maybe it’s the place you proposed to your wife and/or the place you said yes! Maybe it is the high school or college you graduated from. How many have every attended their high school class reunions or college alma mater homecomings? Sometimes it’s not the places but the people who shared those memories with you that you revisit.

Why do we tend to return to these places over and over again? In a January 10, 2018 article on the Huffington Post website entitled, “Travel Experts Explain Why People Return To the Same Places Again and Again”, it states there are certain reasons why we do return to these places. One, is emotional attachment. Two, is connection to local culture and community. Three, because the place has a rich history. Four is unique beauty. Five is amazing food. Six is family tradition and seven is the special treatment you receive there.

In our text today, John brings us full circle as we see that Jesus returns to the scene of the wine. If you remember in chapter 2, there is a wedding in Cana and Jesus, his mother and his disciples had been invited. This is where Jesus did his first miracle of turning water into wine. Now we’re back in Cana, and John is going to tell us about a second miracle that Jesus is going to do there. Jesus didn’t go back there because of emotional attachment or because of the special treatment he received there or even because of the amazing food. Jesus went back to Cana because that was his Father’s plan for him. A couple of weeks ago Jason showed us that Jesus as he traveled from Jerusalem to Galilee had to go through Samaria. Now we know that he had a choice to go around Samaria which is what Jewish people usually did but God had a divine appointment for his son to meet the woman at the well and a subsequent mission trip to share the Gospel with other Samaritans from her village. Jesus has always been guided by His Father’s will for his life and ministry.

Everything from John 2 all the way to the end of John 4, should be read as one big story, or one complete lesson. It’s grouped together, because John is showing and teaching us something about Jesus. First, there was the miracle of water turning to wine in chapter two, then in chapter three he tells us about the encounter with Nicodemus, and then in the first section of chapter 4 he tells us about the encounter with the woman at the well, and now back in Cana he will tell us about another miracle. All of these stories are intended to show us our need for Christ… they’re intended to show us that only He can satisfy our deepest longings and needs. He’s also given us different word pictures to describe how we can receive Him. In chapter three that we receive him by being born again. In chapter four we receive him as our “living water.” Now at the end of chapter 4, he is going to show us how that works and it’s by faith. We come to Christ by faith and trust in Him. And that’s what we are going to see in our text this morning.

Jesus is coming off a most successful mission trip in Samaria and now he is returning to Galilee. John is going to mention that a prophet has no honor in his hometown and then ironically he tells us that Jesus is welcomed in Galilee. But as we saw back in Jerusalem after the Passover, the people that were flocking to Jesus didn’t have a true faith. Their faith was based on signs and wonders and a kind of desperation to believe in something but not truly believe in someone. And John wants us to understand from our passage this morning that we need to move from a desperate faith to a saving faith in the person of Jesus Christ. ​​ That is our big idea this morning. If you are here this morning and your faith is built on only having fire insurance from Hell that is a desperate faith. That is not the faith that Jesus wants us to have. Our faith needs to be built upon the person of Jesus Christ and what he did on the cross for us and in having a personal relationship with him. Before we dive into our passage this morning, let’s pray:

Dear Holy God, We ask for the Holy Spirit to come down upon each one of us and open our hearts and minds to what you want us to learn. We confess our distractions to you and we ask that you take them away at this very moment so we can be fully engaged with you. We ask for understanding and clarity and trust that you will help us to glean something this morning from your Word that we can share with those you put in front of us this week. We thank you for how you love us and take care of us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Our passage this morning is found in John chapter 4, verses 43-54. I am going to start by reading verses 43-45 which will give us some background before we get to the main story. This is what God’s Word says, 43 After the two days he left for Galilee. 44 (Now Jesus himself had pointed out that a prophet has no honor in his own country.) 45 When he arrived in Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him. They had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, for they also had been there.

The last we saw Jesus he had been talking to the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well near Sychar. Jesus told her everything she ever did and she went and told her whole village about this man Jesus whom she believed was the Messiah. In chapter 4, verse 40, the Samaritans urged him to stay with them for two days and he did and many of them were saved. The last thing John records is them saying, ​​ . . . “we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.” Talk about an awesome mission trip.

Last week we talked about the last two mission trips we as a church took, one to Mississippi a year ago and the other to Jamaica in June. In Mississippi we ministered to 32 children each for three days while doing a VBS with them and in Jamaica they ministered to over 1000 people that week.

Now we don’t know exactly how many were saved during those two trips but one important point was that we were called to go and be Jesus’ hands and feet and we were faithful to that. Jesus has been and always will be faithful to his Father and because of his faithfulness many Samaritans came to know him as their Lord and Savior. This is where our story picks up at this morning

After two days of preaching and teaching the Gospel to the Samaritans, Jesus leaves for Galilee. John interjects a statement from Jesus that “a prophet has no honor in his own country.” Maybe John threw that statement in because he wanted to temper our enthusiasm a little so we wouldn’t be expecting a huge soul winning campaign in Galilee. But why go there if he thought he may not get a warm welcome especially after the successful mission trip to Samaria? It was because Jesus was not driven by success but by his Father’s will. Jesus’ mission was to do the will of his Father which was to be the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. ​​ 

Morris says, “He had come unto His own, not under a delusion that He would be welcomed, but knowing full well that He must expect a rejection. This would not take Him by surprise, for it was in the divine plan. So, to fulfil all this implies, He went to Galilee.”

As we continue to the next verse, we are expecting to hear about Jesus being rejected by the people in Galilee but ironically it says when he arrived there he was welcomed by them. John also says that these Galileans had been in Jerusalem and had seen what Jesus did at the Passover.

What are we to make of this? Well we need to look back to chapter 2, verses 23-25 which say this, ​​ 23 Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs he was performing and believed in his name. 24 But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. 25 He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person.

These were some of the same people who saw Jesus cleanse the temple during the Passover and perform signs while in Jerusalem. Do you notice what Jesus knew about them back then? He would not entrust himself to them because he knew what was really in their hearts. He knew receiving was not accepting. Sure, maybe they had a kind of faith, a hollow and shallow faith, in Jesus. But whatever faith they had was based on signs and wonders, based on the spectacular. They welcomed him merely as a miracle worker and Jesus knew that that was not enough. He wanted people to come into a personal relationship with him and that was the way to a saving faith. Yes, Jesus performed miracles and signs but they were to lead people to believe in Him for who He is, the Christ, the Son of God, so that they might have eternal life in His name. They weren’t meant to wow the people into only wanting more and more signs.

Jesus in Matthew 13, used the Parable of the Sower to explain to his followers and his disciples that there are different responses to the Gospel. He said that he was the sower and the seed is the Word of God, both his spoken Word and the Bible. The second ground Jesus talked about was the stony ground. The stony ground represented someone who showed an interest and awareness in the Gospel, yet their heart isn’t fully convicted so that when troubles come their faith is not strong enough to stand. This is what we see happening with the people here. They were believing in Jesus’ power but not the person of Jesus and their heart was not convicted of their sin and therefore didn’t feel the need to take their faith to the next step.

That reminds us of our big idea this morning that we need to move from a desperate faith to a saving faith in the person of Jesus Christ. ​​ 

In verses 46-47 we are going to be introduced to a man who at first comes to Jesus because he had heard of the signs and wonders he has done. He exhibits a beginning faith, but his faith is a desperate faith because of the situation he finds himself in. This is what verses 46-47 says, 46 Once more he visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum. 47 When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death.

Jesus returns to Cana where he turned water into wine. There is a certain royal official there who found himself in a desperate situation. The desperate situation was that his son was sick in Capernaum. In fact, we learn that the son was close to death and the father who had heard of what Jesus had done in Jerusalem comes to beg Jesus to heal his son. Carson says, “The royal official approaches Jesus out of desperation of need, but with little thought as to who Jesus is.” ​​ Who was this man? Some translations say “nobleman.” A nobleman was someone who worked for the king as part of his court. The king over the area of northern Galilee was Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the Great who tried to kill the baby Jesus. This royal official would have been someone of importance, influence and power. He was probably pretty wealthy and didn’t want for anything.

If we look at verse 47 in the New American Standard version it says he frantically implored him to come and heal his son. The imperfect tense of the verb “imploring” indicates he repeatedly begged Jesus to heal his son. But he didn’t try to convince Jesus that he was worthy of this miracle because he was a royal official or a man of means. He just persistently cried out to Jesus. He was desperate because his son was sick and dying and he comes to Jesus in the beginning at a sort of level one stage of faith.

We can see a real truth already here in the story and that is “tough times can turn us to Christ.” Would this royal official ever sought Jesus out if his son wasn’t dying? We don’t know for sure but probably in all honesty, he wouldn’t have. He has probably already had his son looked at by the best doctors in the area where he lived and his son is still dying. We see the man make a 20 mile journey from Capernaum, where his son was, to Cana. One source I read made an interesting observation. Since the royal official was part of Herod Antipas’ court he was probably from Tiberius where Herod had his headquarters. So, this is how desperate the man was to find Jesus and beg him to heal his son. He probably put his son in a boat at Tiberius, which is in the southwest end of the Sea of Galilee and took him to Capernaum 13 miles away to the north because that’s where he had heard that Jesus was hanging out. He doesn’t find Jesus in Capernaum because Jesus was now in Cana. But his son was so sick he probably had to leave him in Capernaum and travel the 20 miles on horseback to Cana. This royal official pulled out all the stops to help his son.

Now I believe all of us would do whatever it took to get a sick and dying love one the care they needed. Sometimes it takes tough times to turn us to Christ but our faith can’t stay there. God often graciously meets us at our point of crisis, but that’s just the beginning. He wants us to believe in and follow Him not only because He delivered us from our crisis, but also because He is the only Savior and Lord and is worthy of our trust. We need to move from a desperate faith to a saving faith in the person of Jesus Christ.

We as Christians need to examine ourselves. Are we like the royal official and wait to pray until we are in a crisis situation? Do we keep Jesus in a box or on the shelf and pull him out when we are in desperate straits and ask him to rescue us. Then when the crisis is averted do we put Him back on the shelf and get on with our lives virtually without Him? Jesus wants to be in a relationship with us and wants to be worshiped by us as Lord and Savior. He wants intimate fellowship with us at all times. He wants us to have a real life saving faith in him not just a desperate faith that seeks him when we are in a jam. That brings us to our first next step on the back of your communication card which is to go beyond having a desperate faith to having a real life saving faith in Jesus.

Next, in verses 48-50 we see Jesus’ answer to the official and we see Jesus moving him to the next step of faith which is an obedient faith. ​​ Follow along with me as I read those verses: 48 “Unless you people see signs and wonders,” Jesus told him, “you will never believe.” 49 The royal official said, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” 50 “Go,” Jesus replied, “your son will live.” The man took Jesus at his word and departed.”

Now this might seem a little rude and without compassion to us as we read it but we need to remember the scene. Jesus has just come into Galilee and the people are flocking to him hoping to see more miracles and signs. The royal official shows up and asks Jesus to heal his son. Jesus knew the royal official and the crowds were not seeking him because they wanted to worship Him or follow Him for who He is. The royal official wasn’t coming as a sinner seeking forgiveness. He wasn’t seeking Jesus because he wanted to know him as Messiah. He was desperate and needed immediate help. Jesus’ rebuke, which was directed at both the royal official and the crowd of Galileans, was a gracious rebuke intended to help the man see his greater need. Jesus wanted him to move from his desperate faith to a genuine saving faith. Jesus never rebukes us to hurt us, but always for our good, so that we might grow in faith and holiness.

We see the man didn’t take offense at Jesus’ rebuke but he was persistent that Jesus come and heal his son. Another thing we notice is that the man’s faith was quite limited. The royal official wanted Jesus to come with him. He had it fixed in his mind that Jesus had to accompany him back to Capernaum to heal his son. And Jesus could have done that but then this man’s faith wouldn’t have grown at all. Often, we have a preconceived idea of how God must work to solve our crisis. We want the answer now or we want to hear an audible voice from him. This man was a royal official, he was used to giving orders and commands and people did what he said. Jesus instead says to him, I’m going to give you a command and let’s see what you do with my authority.

Jesus puts the man in a curious dilemma: The man said, “Come!” but Jesus said, “Go; your son lives.” By doing this, Jesus forced the man to believe without a sign. Either he had to doubt the word of the One in whom he had placed all of his hopes for his son’s recovery, or he had to believe Him and go. Jesus very skillfully drew this man into a deeper level of faith, a faith in his promise or word. Jesus demanded that his faith be desperate enough to trust his word, not just his visible works. Jesus answered the man’s desire to heal his son, but not his request to come down to Capernaum.

The beautiful thing is that Jesus attaches a promise to his command. He commands the man to go to his son and promises that his son is alive. The man had to put aside his expectations of how Jesus would work and just take Him at His word. Jesus wanted to move him to the next step of faith which was having an obedient faith. The man takes Jesus at his word and departs. He is obedient. It is in obeying God’s commands and trusting his promises that true faith is expressed. Do we put expectations on God? Do we believe what he says in his word about the promises of His provision? If not maybe this next step is for you. My next step is to trust in God’s promises and seek to move to an obedient faith in Him.

In verses 51-53 we are going to see this man’s faith go from faith in a power, to faith in a promise, to having faith in a Person. We will see his faith come full circle from a beginner’s desperate faith to the saving faith in Jesus. (BIG IDEA) Follow along as I read verses 51-53, 51 “While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. 52 When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, “Yesterday, at one in the afternoon, the fever left him.” 53 Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” So he and his whole household believed.

The man probably had to spend the night somewhere on his return journey. He probably didn’t travel that night because he would have been exhausted and because it would have been dangerous to do so. Imagine what it took to spend the night knowing that his son could be dead in the morning. He had to wait til the next day and travel the 20 miles back to Capernaum where his son was, with nothing to hold on to but Jesus’ promise.

The following day, as he was on the way home, his slaves met him with the wonderful news that his son was living. The man was no doubt overjoyed, but he wanted to make sure that this wasn’t just a coincidence. So he asked them at what hour did his son begin to get better. ​​ They replied, “Yesterday at one in the afternoon the fever left him.” Left is the same word that John used when the Samaritan woman left her water pot. It wasn’t just a slow, natural recovery. It happened instantly. The man knew that it was the same hour that Jesus had spoken the word, “Your son lives.” In verses 50-53, the word “alive” is repeated three times. Morris says, “We are told three times that the boy lives. John does not want us to miss the emphasis on life, that life that Jesus gives.”

Jesus only has to speak and the miracle is done. Just like Jesus never touches the water to turn it into wine, he doesn’t have to touch the official’s son to heal him. We see the royal official coming to understand who Jesus is and trusting him apart from solving his crisis. But it was a process all along. Faith is a living thing that grows and develops and Jesus was building his man’s faith one step at a time.

As a result, the man and his entire household believed in Jesus. The word “believe” in verse 53 speaks about believing in the person of Jesus Christ. So now the man fully believes in the Person, not just a power, not just the promise, but in the Person of Jesus. He has gone from the desperate faith of begging for Jesus to heal his son to the saving faith of being in a relationship with Jesus Christ that now extends to his whole household believing in Jesus.

John ends this passage and the chapter with verse 54 which says this, 54 This was the second sign Jesus performed after coming from Judea to Galilee.” The royal official and his whole household believed because they saw the sign that Jesus did. Jesus did these signs in order to get people’s attention. The miracles were like calling cards to draw attention to who He was. He did them to give authority and credibility to His ministry. But the miracles were never done just for the sake of the fireworks they created. They weren’t done just to entertain the masses. If the miracles of Jesus didn’t cause people to believe in Him and desire to follow Him, then those miracles were essentially worthless. If those signs didn’t cause people to change their lives and believe in Jesus then they were without value.

Bringing people to faith and commitment were what the signs Jesus did were all about. The same thing should be true here at Idaville Church as well. If the songs we sing don’t cause people to see Jesus and want to follow Him, then they’re worthless. If the prayers we pray don’t cause people to see Jesus and want to follow Him then they lack value. If the sermons we preach don’t cause people to see Jesus and want to follow Him we may as well not get up here to begin with. Everything we do should always be focused on Jesus. Everything we sing, say or do should point people to Christ. That brings us to our last next step on the back of your communication card which is to focus my life on Jesus and make sure that everything I say and do points people to Him.

This morning I want to remind us of the purpose of John’s Gospel. Pastor Stuart told us about it in his first sermon on John and I want to read it to us again this morning. It’s found in John chapter 20, verses 30-31. This is what God’s Word says, 30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

I want to close with a story from Max Lucado:

There was a preacher who went to visit a dying man in the hospital. As the preacher entered the room, he noticed an empty chair beside the man’s bed. He asked the man if someone had just been by to visit. The old man smiled, “I place Jesus on that chair and I talk to Him.” The preacher was puzzled so the man explained. “Years ago a friend told me that prayer was as simple as talking to a good friend. So, every day, I pull up a chair, invite Jesus to sit and we have a good talk.” Some days later the daughter of this man told the preacher that her father had just died. She said “I left him in his room alone for a couple of hours. When I got back to the room, I found that he’d died. But I noticed the strangest thing. His head was resting, not on a pillow, but on an empty chair that was beside the bed.” Do you know what that old man had done? He was so in love with Jesus that he wanted his last moments to be resting in the lap of his savior. My prayer is that all of us will be so in love with Jesus that everything we say and do points people to Him.

As Gene and Roxie come to lead us in our closing hymn and the ushers prepare to collect the communication cards let’s pray:

Almighty and All-knowing God, We praise you for who you are. We thank you for taking us to a deeper faith in yourself. Help us to focus on you and to always point people to you. We thank you for your word that is alive. May we hide it in our hearts and share it with those who do not yet know you as their Lord and Savior. In Jesus’ name. Amen

 

 

 

 

/by

Leaving It Behind

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Leaving It Behind

John 4:27-42

 

  • A Bit of Background

    • John 4:27

    • The Samaritan woman seems to gradually understand more and more about Jesus’ identity

      • 4:9 – “a Jew”

      • 4:12 – “Sir”; Greater than our father Jacob?”

      • 4:19 – “A prophet”

      • 4:27 – Jesus: ​​ “I am he” (the Messiah)

  • Leaving It Behind

    • John 4:28

      • The woman only came to the well to get water

      • She hasn’t yet drawn water

      • Now she is abandoning the task of getting water altogether

      • WHY?!

    • John 4:29

      • The woman is starting to get it!

      • If Jesus is who she thinks He is, the He’s worth abandoning everything else for

        • She’s not sure: ​​ “Could this be . . .?”

        • AND YET, she broke out of her normal patterns to tell the other Samaritans about Jesus

        • “. . . she had met Jesus, who had filled her with a desire for a quality of life that she had never dreamed ​​ of and who had revealed Himself to her ​​ as the One through whom that life is ​​ imparted to men and women.” ​​ [Anders]

        • PRINCIPLE #1 – Jesus frees us to leave behind everything we know

        • Jeremiah 2:13

        • MY NEXT STEP TODAY IS TO: ​​ Leave behind ​​ the parts of my life I’ve made for myself

  • Jesus Secret Food

    • John 4:30-32

    • John 4:33

      • Continuing the trend of missing the point (Nicodemus, the woman, now the disciples)

      • Understandable, and yet shows the disciples’ priorities

      • It’s on this topic of priorities that Jesus seems to be correcting His disciples

    • John 4:34-35

      • Translation: ​​ Check your priorities! (Deuteronomy 8:3)

      • In Christ, we are free to focus on His will as He takes care of the rest ​​ 

      • PRINCIPLE #2 – When we focus on the will of God, He sustains us

      • MY NEXT STEP TODAY IS TO: ​​ Consider where the “harvest” may be “ripe” in my life

  • Being a Witness

    • John 4:39 – Despite everything in her life, this woman is a sufficient witness because of her encounter with Christ

    • John 4:40-41 – Those who have heard the woman’s testimony are now seeking a personal ​​ encounter with Christ

    • John 4:42 – The woman fulfilled her role, and Jesus ​​ has taken care of the rest

    • How did Jesus witness?

      • He was friendly

      • He asked questions

      • He showed concern for human need

      • He faithfully explained the scriptures

      • He emphasized good news for thirsty people

      • PRINCIPLE #3 – “Witnesses are not responsible for converting people; their task is to tell the truth about what they know.” ​​ [Anders]

      • Sometimes we are so focused on representing Christ that we forget to be like Him

      • And if we aren’t representing Christ in our attitudes, what good are our words?

      • MY NEXT STEP TODAY IS TO: ​​ Commit to representing Christ in my actions and attitudes.

/by

Leading With Your Heart

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Leading With Your Heart

John 4:1-26

 

  • A Bit of Background

    • Jesus leaves Judea for Galilee

      • The Pharisees are stirring up trouble again (vv. 1-2)

      • Jesus intentionally avoids this conflict created by the Pharisees (at least for the time being)

      • So Jesus leaves Judea and travels to Galilee

  • Jews and Samaritans

    • “Now [Jesus] had to go through Samaria.” (v. 4)

      • AND YET . . . Many Jews did not travel through Samaria

      • Many pious Jews completely avoided Samaria, both out of hatred and to avoid impurity

    • A brief history of Jews and Samaritans

      • Hundreds of years of mutual hatred and distrust

      • After Israel divided into two kingdoms, the northern kingdom was captured by the Assyrians in 722 BC

      • Throughout that captivity, Israelites in the northern kingdom intermarried with Assyrians and also developed their own religion which included the worship of both the true God and Assyrian false gods

      • So Jews saw Samaritans as “half-breeds”

    • So why would Jesus “have to go through Samaria?”

      • Divine appointment

      • (Acts 1:8) Witnessing in Samaria – God calls us to witness to our enemies!

  • The Humanity of Jesus

    • Despite prejudices and traditions, Jesus talks to this Samaritan woman at the well

    • Look at Jesus’s approach to her

      • Shows vulnerability

      • Show humility

      • Prioritizes the person

        • “Through the entire conversation, Jesus deals with her as a person in her own right, with her unique history and special longings. ​​ She emerges in the account as a credible character with personal dignity, because Jesus treats her as such. ​​ Simply put, Jesus loved her and was prepared to breach age-old conventions to reach her. ​​ Our failures in evangelism are so often failures in love.” ​​ [Milne, 87]

        • PRINCIPLE #1 – Don’t be afraid to lead with your heart

        • MY NEXT STEP TODAY IS TO: ​​ Take intentional steps to prioritize people in my life this week.

  • The Divinity of Jesus

    • (v. 10) Jesus begins to reveal who He is

      • “Living water” (Jer. 2:13)

      • Exactly what she’s been searching for in relationships which have run dry

    • Bringing out the truth

      • The woman expresses interest

      • Jesus begins to tell her about herself

  • Spirit and Truth

    • Jesus’s response to her questions of religion

      • Maybe she felt unworthy or excluded

      • Jesus addresses this

    • God wants those who worship in Spirit and in Truth

    • “. . . an attitude of heart which acknowledges God and His sovereignty over our lives. ​​ Furthermore, worship must be done in truth – honestly, biblically, centered on Christ. ​​ This paragraph shows the difference between religion and the gospel: ​​ religion describes humankind’s search for God; the gospel describes the way God reached down to humanity.” ​​ [Anders]

  • What Does This Mean For Us?

    • Don’t be afraid to lead with your heart

    • What you need: ​​ God

    • What you don’t need: ​​ all the answers

/by

Completion Not Competition

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Believe

Completion Not Competition

(John 3:22-36)

 

INTRODUCTION

“To be humble is to be so sure of one's self and one's mission that one can forgo calling excessive attention to one's self and status. And even more pointedly, to be humble is to revel in the accomplishment or potential of others, especially those with whom one identifies and to whom one is linked organically. ...

 

Humility means two things. One, a capacity for self-criticism. ...The second feature is allowing others to shine, affirming others, empowering and enabling others. Those who lack humility are dogmatic and egotistical. That masks a deep sense of insecurity. They feel the success of others is at the expense of their own fame and glory. If criticism is put forward, they are not able to respond to it. And this produces, of course, an authoritarian sensibility.”

 

Cornel West in dialog with bell hooks in The Other Side, (Mar.-Apr. 1992). Christianity Today, Vol. 38, no. 5.

 

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/1995/september/1111.html].

 

BODY

  • ME

    • Spiritual retreat

        • Last week I went up to Creation Music Festival with Seth and Nathan Cafarchio on Tuesday to set everything up

        • While they both came home, I remained at Creation by myself

        • I had been looking forward to having the rest of Tuesday and most of Wednesday to myself

        • I had planned a spiritual retreat where I could pray, read God’s Word, worship, and listen to God’s voice

        • I’ve been wrestling through my own feelings about ministry success and God used the spiritual retreat and a couple of the artists to speak to me

          • As I was reading commentaries on Wednesday in preparation for the message, I was particularly challenged by one statement

          • “Everything good you’ve received, whether its financial prosperity, physical abilities, or ministry success, comes from heaven . . . the good hand of God is the reason for any success in ministry. ​​ Big buildings, growing budgets, and increased attendance don’t measure the success of a ministry. ​​ The results are not ours, they’re God’s, and he has the authority to do with us what he desires. ​​ Jesus said to his disciples, ‘I will build my church’ (Matt. 16:18).” ​​ [Carter and Wredberg, Christ-Centered Exposition: ​​ Exalting Jesus in John, 72]

          • I work hard to try and have a successful ministry here at Idaville Church, but in the process I have neglected my family

          • Mike Donehey (lead singer for Tenth Avenue North) and Matt Hammitt (former lead singer for Sanctus Real) both shared stories of how their wives encouraged them to step back from the busy touring life to be with their families

          • Mike said he was scared that if he stepped back and didn’t continue to push for more and more engagements that the band would die, but they are still around and are releasing a new album in August 2019 (they cut their engagements in half from around 165 a year to around 80)

        • God knew that this is what I needed to hear and allowed that theme to come through loud and clear at Creation

        • I’ve been trying to compete with Jesus by becoming greater and doing more, instead of completing what God has called me to do, so Jesus becomes greater

        • I have to come to the realization that the success of Idaville Church doesn’t rest with me, but with Jesus

        • I have to faithfully point people to Jesus

 

  • WE

    • Self-reliant

        • It’s difficult in our culture to think about stepping back from a busy schedule

        • Success in our culture is all about pushing harder and farther than the next person

        • Many times we sacrifice church attendance or service in the church, so we can continue to pursue other activities

        • Our goal should be eternal and not temporal

        • Are the things we’re pursuing pointing people to Jesus?

    • The 80/20 rule

        • Most of us have heard about the 80/20 rule

        • It goes like this, 20% of the people do 80% of the work

        • That is especially true in the church

        • Sometimes the 20% have to humbly step back and leave a void, so others will step forward to serve

        • I know that some of us at Idaville Church serve faithfully and in multiple capacities, because we love the church and want to see it succeed, but those individuals are potentially in the same boat as me – they are competing with Jesus by becoming great and doing more, instead of completing what God has called them to do so Jesus becomes greater

 

John the Baptist didn’t have the problem of competing with Jesus, because he understood what his role was in God’s plan. ​​ He knew exactly what he was called, by God, to do and he completed his task. ​​ We’ll see today in John 3:22-36 that John the Evangelist wants us to understand that . . .

 

BIG IDEA – When we compete with Jesus, we become greater – but when we complete for Jesus, He becomes greater.

 

Let’s pray

 

  • GOD (John 3:22-36)

    • Man Exalted (vv. 22-26)

        • Jesus’ baptism (v. 22)

          • “After this” is an unspecified time period

            • We have to remember that John the Evangelist is not writing in a chronological order, but rather he is providing information that will help to accomplish his goal and purpose in writing

            • John 20:31, But these things 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.

            • In a general sense we can definitely say that what we are about read took place after Jesus’ baptism and His ministry in Jerusalem

          • Judean countryside

            • The NIV does an excellent job of translating the meaning of the original Greek

            • The NASB, which is a more word-for-word translation of the Greek, translates it this way, After these things Jesus and his disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He was spending time with them and baptizing.

            • That literal translation makes it sound like Jesus had just enter the land of Judea and yet Jerusalem is in the land of Judea

            • It seems as though Jesus and His disciples have left the urban center of Jerusalem and are spending some time in the rural areas of Judea

          • Baptizing

            • The verb is in the singular, so it would seem as though Jesus is the One who is doing the baptizing, but John clears that up for us at the beginning of the next chapter

            • John 4:1-2, The Pharisees heard that Jesus was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John, although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples.

            • I don’t believe this was by chance, but by divine design

              • Imagine for a moment that we could say we were baptized by Jesus, the Messiah

              • In our humanness we would use that as a way to express our spiritual pride

              • “Well, you may have been baptized by . . . but I was baptized by Jesus!”

              • God, in His divine sovereignty, stopped that from being a problem or temptation in the lives of the believers in the 1st Century

              • Jesus wasn’t the One who was doing the baptizing – it was His disciples

            • What kind of baptism was Jesus’ disciples doing?

              • We know that John the Baptist’s baptism was a baptism of repentance, in anticipation of the coming Messiah

              • This would also have to be the case with Jesus’ baptism by His disciples

              • Jesus had not yet fulfilled His purpose on earth – to give His life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45)

              • He hadn’t died on the cross, been buried, and come alive again, providing eternal life for all who believe

              • So, the baptism that Jesus is doing is not what we call “believers baptism,” it would have been a baptism of repentance, anticipating Jesus passion

              • It was also not the baptism of the Holy Spirit, that John the Baptist had mentioned earlier in this Gospel – that would come on the Day of Pentecost

          • The baptism that Jesus’ disciples were conducting was simply continuing to point people to Jesus

        • John’s baptism (vv. 23-24)

          • John was continuing his ministry of pointing people to Jesus and preparing them for the day when Jesus would fulfill His purpose on earth

            • His ministry was not completed, even though He had already identified Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world

            • Jesus was so new in this 1st Century scene that some people were probably skeptical about Him

            • They were familiar with John’s ministry and therefore people were constantly coming to be baptized (Jn. 3:23)

            • We know, from this story, that not every one of John’s disciples had begun to follow Jesus – they were committed and zealous for John’s ministry

          • Location

            • For the original readers of John’s Gospel the location of Aenon near Salim would have identified a specific location that they were familiar with

            • Unfortunately for us, that specific location has been lost

              • We can only speculate about two potential locations [show the map]

                • Eight miles southeast of Beth Shean (Scythopolis)

                • Four miles southeast of Shechem, farther south

              • Both locations were within Samaria and had multiple springs surrounding them, so the reference to the place having plenty of water, would fit

            • “Aenon” is a Semitic term that means “springs”

            • “Salim” comes from the Hebrew word for “peace” (Shalom)

          • Timeframe

            • John the Evangelist helps us to understand that Jesus and John the Baptist were baptizing and ministering simultaneously

            • The Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) only record Jesus’ Galilean ministry, after John the Baptist had been arrested

            • Mark 1:14, After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God.

            • They do not record any of Jesus’ ministry, in Judea, prior to that time

            • So, John the Evangelist includes this side note to help his readers understand that there was a period of time when Jesus and John the Baptist ministered simultaneously in the land of Judea

            • This side note prevents any attempt to say that the Bible contradicts itself – that the Synoptic Gospels disagree with John’s Gospel

            • John is relaying a story that happened prior to the stories recorded in the Synoptic Gospels

          • John has set the stage for the argument and John the Baptist’s disciple’s concern

        • Argument (v. 25)

          • A certain Jew

            • The NIV translates the Greek for a Jew correctly, because it is in the singular

            • It was not a group of Jews, as some have speculated

            • Unfortunately we are not able to identify who this Jew was, but that’s fine because that’s not the focus of this text

          • Ceremonial washing

            • In fact, what they are arguing about isn’t the focus of the text either

            • John the Evangelist tells us that they are discussing the matter of ceremonial washing

            • “Baptism such as this was commonplace for converted Gentiles entering Judaism since it represented a spiritual threshold the convert was crossing. ​​ Ceremonial washings were also common among Jews who cleansed themselves for service or prayer. ​​ But baptism for Jews did not make sense. ​​ Was this a ceremonial cleansing? ​​ Was it a threshold? ​​ Certainly these questions stand behind the interrogation of John reported at the beginning of all four Gospels.” ​​ [Burge, The NIV Application Commentary, John, 121]

          • There was obviously something in the argument that uncovered some frustration that John’s disciples had, concerning Jesus’ ministry of baptism

          • So, they go to John the Baptist to share their concerns with him

        • Disciple’s zeal (v. 26)

          • Rabbi

            • The use of “Teacher” here is not out of place, since it was still a general term in the 1st Century

            • It eventually became a specific term only used for those who completed the vigorous rabbinic training

            • John the Baptist’s disciples followed him and his teachings

          • Separating themselves from Jesus’ ministry

            • Notice how John the Baptist’s disciples frame their concern when they approach him

              • They most likely knew Jesus by name, but they say, that man – they don’t even want to acknowledge Him by name

              • Who was with you – Jesus was with John and not them

              • The one you testified about – it was John’s testimony about Jesus and not theirs

              • He is baptizing

            • They do not, in any way, want to be associated with Jesus and His ministry

              • They are totally committed to John and his baptizing ministry

              • They were definitely not like Andrew and John who understood who Jesus was and began to follow Him when John the Baptist said a second time “Look, the Lamb of God!” (John 1:35)

            • PRINCIPLE #1 – God wants us to follow Jesus, not people

              • That’s what these disciples of John the Baptist were doing

              • They were fully committed to following John and refused to follow Jesus as a result

              • Their jealousy and resentment at Jesus’ growing ministry blinded them from seeing and hearing the truth of John the Baptist’s message – Jesus is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29)

              • “Disciples of teachers are often more zealous for their teachers’ perspectives than the teachers themselves, and thus history is replete with many examples of the excesses of disciples, as in the case of the Arminians and Calvinists.” ​​ [Borchert, The New American Commentary, John 1-11, 190]

                • The former State Director for CEF of Indiana had almost made it through her studies at Dallas Theological Seminary without being asked if she held to the Calvinist or Arminianist doctrine of salvation

                • On graduation day she was cornered by her fellow classmates and asked to choose

                • Her response was not original to her, but is profound, “I pray like a Calvinist like it’s all up to God, and I work like an Arminianist like it’s all up to me.”

                • When I’m asked that question about the doctrine of salvation, I normally respond by saying, “I’m a Christian, I follow Jesus. ​​ Calvin was human and fallible. ​​ Arminius was human and fallible. ​​ Jesus is God and perfect.”

                • We have an incredible history as United Brethren in Christ

                  • William Otterbein, one of the two founding pastors of this denomination modeled humility and pointing people to Jesus, just like John the Baptist

                  • “He published no books and few of his works are available . . . For some reason, perhaps known only to himself, it was reported that all his personal papers and notes were burned. ​​ According to Drury, John Hildt reported that this burning occurred in his presence during the last year of Otterbein’s life.” ​​ [Fetters, Trials and Triumphs: ​​ History of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, 75-76]

                  • While we don’t know the reasoning behind why he did this, I would like to think that it was because he was not about building his own kingdom, but the kingdom of God

                  • He didn’t want people pointing to his words, but to the Word of God

              • Who are we following?

                • Every one of us follows someone or something

                  • Some of us follow the Yankees, while others follow the Orioles or some other baseball team

                  • Some of us follow the Steelers, while others follow the Eagles (the Redskins are pretty popular too)

                  • Some of us follow Dr. David Jeremiah, Beth Moore, Greg Laurie, Charles Stanley, Andy Stanley, Chuck Swindoll, Craig Groeschel, Rick Warren, Max Lucado and the list goes on and on

                • When I first came to Idaville, there were several messages where I said that if you are coming to church to hear me preach, you are coming for the wrong reason

                  • We should be coming to church to learn more about Jesus

                  • But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18)

                  • So whether I’m here or another Pastor is here, we should be coming to church to learn more about Jesus

                • Paul had to set the Corinthian church straight

                  • Read 1 Corinthians 1:10-17

                  • Read 1 Corinthians 3:1-9

                  • Paul was saying that he, Apollos, Cephas, and any other preacher of the Gospel should be pointing people to Jesus and not themselves

              • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Make sure that I am following Jesus and not another human being.

            • The disciples of John the Baptist who came to him with their concern, were following a human being and not Jesus, which caused them to exaggerate

          • Exaggeration

            • In their frustration and concern they overstate reality

            • Everyone is going to him (John 3:26b)

            • We know that’s not true, because John the Evangelist stated in verse 23 that John was also baptizing in Aenon near Salim, and people were constantly coming to be baptized

            • When things aren’t going our way, or we don’t like a certain thing or a certain person, we tend to exaggerate as well

              • “Nobody likes . . . (sushi, spinach, lima beans, etc.)”

              • “Everyone likes . . . (hymns, worship songs, etc.)”

              • “No one likes . . . (a particular person)”

              • “Everyone thinks that . . . (idea, vision, goal, or direction) is wrong.”

              • Many times we use those kinds of exaggerations to manipulate the situation, so it will go in our favor or so that things will change to accommodate our preferences

              • When it comes to spiritual things, I believe that many times God’s trying to change us, but we don’t want to change

            • John the Baptist’s disciples were comfortable with his teachings and his ministry of baptism, so they didn’t want to make a change

          • Who should we follow?

            • “We’re supposed to read this statement not as a question about baptism but about authority. ​​ John the Baptist’s disciples are wondering who has the authority. ​​ Who should men be following?” ​​ [Carter and Wredberg, 70]

            • It’s also probable that John the Baptist’s disciples were wanting to know what he was going to do about Jesus’ ministry of baptism gaining ground (Jesus was “stealing” John’s ministry)

        • What we see in verses 27-30 is a humility that is rare in our culture

          • John does not try to grab fame or authority

          • He doesn’t try to compete with Jesus

        • John points to Jesus and explains that he is completing the task that God had given him

    • Jesus Exalted (vv. 27-30)

        • John’s response (vv. 27-28)

          • “God has given me a specific task to accomplish here on earth”

            • He can’t do more than what God has given him to do and he certainly shouldn’t do less

            • “The principle he enunciated is that a ‘God-sent’ one is not self-oriented or self-serving but is one who acknowledges the ‘giveness’ of life from ‘heaven’.” ​​ [Borchert, 191]

          • His disciples should have known and understood what his task was

            • He hadn’t hidden it from them

            • In fact he probably stated it, to them, more times than John the Evangelist records in this Gospel

            • John the Baptist tells them that they can testify to his God-given task, because he has mentioned it so often

            • “I am not the Christ, but am sent ahead of him.” (John 3:28)

            • There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. ​​ He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. ​​ He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. (John 1:6-8)

            • His task was to be the messenger sent ahead of the Messiah

          • He used an illustration, that would have been familiar to them, to help them understand his God-given role

        • John’s illustration (vv. 29-30)

          • Everyone would have understood the various roles of the wedding party

            • Bride belongs to the bridegroom

              • This is a significant truth, especially in the ancient near east

              • “There is good evidence that in ancient Sumerian and Babylonian law the best man was absolutely prohibited from marrying the bride. ​​ The influence of this view on the Old Testament period is probably to be traced in Judges 14-15, where even the Philistines recognize the rightness of Samson’s grievance. ​​ If this perspective, mediated through the Old Testament, descends as far as John the Baptist, then the Baptist is saying that he is ‘the last who could compete with the bridegroom, for under no circumstances is he allowed to marry the bride.’” ​​ [Carson, The Pillar New Testament Commentary, The Gospel According to JOHN, 212]

              • When we compete with Jesus, we become greater.

              • “Those who win the Church over to themselves rather than to Christ faithlessly violate the marriage which they ought to honour.” ​​ [Calvin cited by Gangel, Holman New Testament Commentary, John, 59]

              • But, John the Baptist is saying that he is not trying to compete with Jesus

              • He is the best man, the friend who attends the bridegroom

            • Best man (friend)

              • The role of the best man in the 1st Century was to prepare everything for the wedding

                • He would make sure the bride arrived for the wedding on time

                • He also made sure all of the arrangements were made in advance of the day

              • The best man was also the one who stood outside the marriage tent (chamber) as the bridegroom and bride consummated their marriage [Borchert, 191]

              • He would listen for the shout of the bridegroom signaling the successful union between he and his bride [Borchert, 192]

            • The best man’s joy came from hearing the bridegroom’s voice

              • That meant the bridegroom had arrived

              • It also meant that the best man had completed his task

          • John was joyful about completing his task of preparing the way for Jesus

            • “The rising prominence of Jesus, as upsetting as it may have been to some of John’s disciples, floods John himself with surpassing joy, because that was exactly what he himself had worked for.” ​​ [Carson, 212]

            • When we complete for Jesus, He becomes greater.

            • PRINCIPLE #2 – Our joy should come from completing what God has given us to do.

              • What has God given you to do in His kingdom?

              • Are you faithfully completing that task for Him?

              • Has that task become something that you are doing for your own glory and recognition?

              • Are you able and willing to accomplish that God-given task without self-recognition?

              • Does that task bring you joy, simply because it is being done for Jesus?

              • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Find joy in faithfully completing my God-given task(s).

                • Perhaps you’ve lost the joy in serving the Lord faithfully

                • Maybe your God-given task feels more like a burden

                • That can change today

                • Ask the Lord to renew your joy in serving Him

          • PRINCIPLE #3 – God’s desire for His people is that they decrease as Jesus increases.

            • “It is said of the pioneer missionary, William Carey, that when he was close to death he turned to a friend and said, ‘When I am gone, don’t talk about William Carey; talk about William Carey’s Savior. ​​ I desire that Christ alone might be magnified.” ​​ [Gangel, 59]

            • “I spent one summer in the mountains of Wyoming. ​​ The camp I was at was up on a mountain, a solid twenty-five minutes from the closest small town. ​​ When the sun went down, the moon and stars began to light up the sky. ​​ There were no city lights for them to compete with – no haze or smog – just cool, clear mountain air. ​​ As night deepened, the intensity of the stars and the moon grew. ​​ I was amazed at how bright they were. ​​ We would lie out under the stars and enjoy the wonders of the night sky. ​​ But every morning the sun would come up, and the stars and moon, as bright as they were, would start to fade. ​​ When the sun appeared, the stars were unnecessary. ​​ John the Baptist was a star, but when the Son came, the star faded. ​​ ‘It’s OK,’ John declared in essence. ​​ ‘Follow Jesus; he’s here now.’” ​​ [Carter and Wredberg, 74-75]

            • “When we evaluate everything based on what we like and dislike, we’ve lost our purpose. ​​ Next time you’re tempted to complain, ask this question: ​​ Am I complaining because the glory of Jesus is decreasing, or is it about me? ​​ Jesus must increase, but it will only happen as we – our wants, desires, and likes – decrease.” ​​ [Carter and Wredberg, 74]

            • Decreasing so Jesus can increase

              • When we compete with Jesus, we become greater – but when we complete for Jesus, He becomes greater.

              • Are there areas in your life where you need to decrease so Jesus can increase?

              • Are you competing with Jesus instead of completing for Him?

              • It’s easy to get caught up in the comparing and competing game, even within the church

                • We compare our church building to other church buildings

                • We compare our pastor to other pastors

                • We compare our children and youth ministry to other church’s children and youth ministries

                • We compare our worship and music to other church’s worship and music

                • “We would do well to notice that envy or jealousy over someone else’s popularity, especially in ministry, can never advance God’s kingdom but only deteriorate our spiritual lives.” ​​ [Gangel, 58]

                • When we play the compare and compete game, we find that we are not content with our church

                • Then it is very easy to speak negatively about our church with family and friends

                • When we do that we’re actually hurting our church instead of helping it, because those family and friends aren’t going to want to come to a church that isn’t unified

              • Pray and serve

                • The solution to comparing and competing is praying and serving

                • We should be praying that God will change our attitudes and that God will prosper His church – that He will provide spiritual growth, salvations, baptisms, finances, children, youth, young adults, older adults, etc.

                • Pray that Jesus will build His church

                • It’s one thing to find fault, but it’s another thing to provide solutions by getting involved and serving

                • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Pray that God will change my attitude(s), and that He will allow Idaville Church to prosper as I serve Him by serving the church.

          • When we compete with Jesus, we become greater – but when we complete for Jesus, He becomes greater.

        • Some scholars believe the final verses of chapter 3 are John the Evangelist’s commentary on the story of John the Baptist and his disciples (I tend to agree with that viewpoint)

    • Commentary (vv. 31-36)

        • Jesus’ authority [sovereignty/deity] (vv. 31-32)

          • John highlights Jesus’ authority, deity, and sovereignty

            • Jesus is above all, because He comes from above

            • Jesus testifies about what He has seen and heard in heaven

            • Unfortunately not every one accepts His testimony

            • It’s interesting to note that John uses the phrase, but no one accepts his testimony

              • I don’t know if this is in contrast to what John the Baptist’s disciples said about everyone is going to him (John 3:26)

              • We certainly know that, not everyone rejected Jesus’ testimony, because His disciples were baptizing people

              • I like the NLT’s translation of the verse, He testifies about what he has seen and heard, but how few believe what he tells them! (John 3:32)

              • “Enter through the narrow gate. ​​ For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. ​​ But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” ​​ (Matthew 7:13-14)

            • In verses 34 and 35 we see that Jesus speaks the words of God, because God has given Him the Spirit without limit and God has put everything in His hands

              • This is significant, because God gave the Spirit to the prophets of old for a specific time

              • But, with Jesus, He gives the Holy Spirit to Him without limit

              • This is important, because eventually Jesus will be baptizing, not with water, but with the Holy Spirit

              • The fact that God has put everything in Jesus’ hands points to His authority and sovereignty

          • He also expresses how finite human beings are

            • The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth (John 3:31b)

            • We can only speak about heaven from what God has revealed to us through His Word

            • We don’t have infinite knowledge or understanding of God and heaven

          • Humanity responds in one of two ways

        • Humanity’s response (vv. 33-36)

          • Acceptance

            • When a person accepts Jesus’ testimony a couple of things happen

              • They certify that God is truthful

                • God is truthful – He cannot lie

                • If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives (1 John 1:10)

              • They have eternal life

            • The second response that humanity can choose is rejection

          • Rejection

            • A person can choose to reject Jesus as God’s plan to provide eternal life

              • God has given us a free will

              • He does not force His plan on us, but offers it freely to those who believe

              • Anyone can choose to believe that there is another way to have eternal life, but they will only deceive themselves

              • Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. ​​ No one comes to the Father except through me.” ​​ (John 14:6)

            • Those who reject Jesus as God’s plan for eternal life will not see life

              • God’s wrath remains on those individuals

              • “As in verse 18, the point is not that the disobedient are now suddenly condemned by a vengeful God, but, on the contrary, that their spiritual condition and their relation to God remains unchanged.” ​​ [Michaels, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, The Gospel of JOHN, 228]

              • This goes back to Paul’s statement in Romans 3:23 that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God – we are all born sinners

              • Our spiritual state doesn’t change, from birth, until we choose to believe in Jesus

 

  • YOU

    • Our goal should be the same as John the Baptist – becoming less, so Jesus becomes greater

    • When we compete with Jesus, we become greater – but when we complete for Jesus, He becomes greater.

 

  • WE

    • When we understand this truth and begin to live in light of that truth, others around us will take notice

    • We’ll see the body of believers here at Idaville Church living in love and unity, and Jesus will build His church

 

CONCLUSION

“A true leader is committed to the cause, and does not become the cause. Staying personally dedicated to the cause can become extremely difficult, particularly if the cause succeeds. A subtle change in thinking can overtake the leader of a successful ministry. He or she begins ‘needing’ certain things to carry on the ministry--things that were not needed earlier.

 

I admire Mother Teresa, who decided after winning the Nobel Prize that she would not go to accept any more recognition because it interfered with her work. She knew she was not in the business of accepting prizes; she was in the business of serving the poor of Calcutta. She maintained her dedication to the cause by refusing unrelated honors.

 

Fred Smith, Learning To Lead. (Christianity Today, 1986), p. 29.

 

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/1995/september/1101.html].

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